FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Ginny Kirkland
678.640.2141
lck111@bellsouth.net

June 4, 2003 - Washington, D.C. - Carol Waugh, President of Xcellent Marketing, was honored with the coveted Making It Happen jacket for her contributions to the successful integration of technology in education in K-12 schools.

While attending the Association for Educational Publishers annual Educational Publishing Summit in Washington, D.C. , Waugh was honored by Kathy Hurley, one of the three cofounders of the Making It Happen Awards program, for her dedication to education and successful integration of technology in the classroom. The Making It Happen program has made a commitment to work with state and national organizations and conferences to identify individuals who are truly Making It Happen within their respective state or region and recognize them publicly.

Waugh was honored for her initiative, dedication and support of the integration of the latest education technologies in K-12 schools to help improve student learning and achievement. Her background incorporates a broad range of responsibilities during the past 30 years. She has been the Publisher and Executive Vice President of a large database publisher specializing in library, bookstore and educational markets, a Vice President of the database division of a major grocery industry publisher, and a Vice President of a publisher of educational multi-media programs. Her work has involved launching the first commercially successful CD-ROM product in the US as well as hiring, training and managing a staff of marketing and sales professionals.

In 1998, Ms. Waugh co-founded a dot-com based company that provides nationwide seminars and a newsletter on Internet marketing strategies. Ms. Waugh has created web-based marketing strategies for numerous publishers of all types of media, distributors as well as associations, nonprofits, legal as well as other non-publishing businesses. In addition, she has directed numerous marketing campaigns, which involved list selection, direct mail creative development, telemarketing, space advertising, special exhibits and public relations.

Her efforts in these fields have resulted in several honors, including the inclusion of her biography in Who's Who of Finance, The World of Who's Who of Women, and nominations for Direct Marketing Woman of the Year. Ms. Waugh is an accomplished writer, having authored 4 published books and many articles. She is widely recognized in the industry and is invited to speak at many industry meetings and conferences. Her most recent publication, from which the K-12 education industry will most definitely benefit, is The Experts Guide to the K-12 Market.

Successful integration of educational technology requires a common passion, initiative and pledge that can best be summarized by the Making It Happen Formula of Success.

The eight components of the Formula of Success are:
1. Educators who apply available technology now,
2. Move forward and don’t look back,
3. See students as real people,
4. Teach through relationships - inspire, encourage, nurture,
5. Recognize that further change is necessary, but understand that it is a process,
6. Realize that teacher empowerment is the key element to technology integration,
7. Expect success, and,
8. Motivate through awareness and access to information.

Waugh joins a prestigious group of Making It Happen honorees, including classroom teachers, school principals, district superintendents and even former Secretary of Education, Richard Riley. To view a complete list of honorees, please visit the Making It Happen web site at www.makingithappen.org.

About Making It Happen

The Making It Happen program highlights the dramatic role educators are having on the learning process by using technology, and rewards those individuals for their commitment and innovation. To date, more than 125 educators have been awarded this recognition. The impact of this program has been felt at numerous conferences around the country. The focus of the Making It Happen program is on current practitioners, highlighting their significant contribution and encouraging them to continue their work. Making It Happen recipients are in the classroom, making it happen for learners everyday. If you are making it happen for students in your classroom, district, or state, contact the Making It Happen program in care of Priscilla Shumway; 843-886-6116 or prisshum@mindspring.com. To learn more about Making It Happen or to become a sponsor, visit our website, www.MakingItHappen.org.