Junior Achievement Announces Mark Cuban as Keynote Speaker

            Indianapolis, IN June 1, 2006.... Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, Inc. announces that Mark Cuban will be the keynote speaker for their 3rd annual Indy’s Best and Brightest luncheon on September 19, 2006 from 12-1:30pm at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. 

The 3rd annual Indy’s Best and Brightest lunch presented by KPMG honors 100 of central Indiana’s most outstanding young professionals age 40 and under.  The categories honored at the lunch include the following:  Accounting; Banking & Financial Services; Education & Nonprofit; Government; Health & Life Sciences; Law; Media, Entertainment & Sports; Real Estate, Development & Construction; Manufacturing, Retail & Services; and Technology.  Winners from each category will be announced during the lunch on September 19.  All 100 finalists will be notified beforehand.  Scott Dorsey, founder and president of Exact Target, an email software solutions provider for permission-based email marketing, will serve as Chairman of this year’s event.  Gerry Dick, the host of the television program, “Inside INdiana Business” will serve as emcee for the third year.   

All proceeds from this lunch go directly to Junior Achievement programs.  Please visit www.indysbestandbrightest.com to nominate someone for one of the 10 categories described.  An electronic nomination form and other information provided on this site. 
           
Mark Cuban is the current Chairman and co-founder of HDNet, the world’s first national television network broadcasting all of its programming in 1080i high-definition television (HDTV).  In 1995, he co-founded Broadcast.com, an Internet service that provided streaming audio and video of live news, radio, television and sporting events.  Broadcast.com gained notoriety when it showcased events such as President Clinton’s Grand Jury testimony and a Victoria’s Secret fashion show.  Ultimately, Broadcast.com was purchased by Yahoo in 1999, making Cuban one of the wealthiest men in the country. 

Most famously, Cuban is known as the current owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.  He has gained fame by being the only owner in team sports to encourage fan interaction through email on his own computer.  He is an active investor in leading and cutting-edge technologies and continues to be a sought-after speaker. 

Scott Dorsey is the Co-Founder and CEO of Exact Target, an Indianapolis-based on-demand email software company.  Exact Target delivers email software solutions for permission based email marketing.  More than 5,000 organizations worldwide rely on Exact Target to strengthen their customer relationships.  Dorsey was also selected as a winner of the 2004 Best and Brightest luncheon in the Technology category. 

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Through a dedicated staff and volunteer network, JA provides in-school, after-school and off site experiential learning simulations and programs for students in grades K-12. JA offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today more than 140 offices reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than three million students served by operations in 96 countries worldwide.

For more information, visit www.ja.org or www.jaindy.org.  Indianapolis is known for having the largest and most unique experiential learning center in the country today and they continue to be innovators and leaders in their community, the not-for-profit sector and throughout the JA worldwide organization.

Please contact Marni Kwiatkowski, Dir. of Systems and Development at (317) 252-5900 ext. 215 or marni@jaindy.org with any questions.