April 24, 2006*

President of Say Yes Announced

Schmitt-Carey to Oversee All Aspects of Say Yes to Education's Operations in Philadelphia, Hartford, Cambridge and Harlem, Brings Vision of Local and Potentially Nationwide Expansion

[New York, NY - April 24, 2006] - George A. Weiss, founder of Say Yes to Education, Inc.--a non-profit organization that pledges a college education to students who graduate from high school in high poverty areas where graduation rates are historically low--today announced that Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey, a public policy and education specialist with more than a decade of experience in the field, has been named President of Say Yes to Education.

Based at Say Yes to Education's Manhattan headquarters, Ms. Schmitt-Carey, 40, will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of its current operations in Philadelphia, Hartford, Cambridge and Harlem. A nationally recognized expert in education reform and public policy, Schmitt-Carey brings with her a vision to replicate and expand--locally and potentially nationwide--the Say Yes to Education program, which has been a proven success for nearly two decades. For example, 88 percent of its Cambridge chapter participants graduated from high school or obtained a GED, and of those, 68 percent completed and/or are attending post-secondary school.

Ms. Schmitt-Carey joins Say Yes to Education from New American Schools (NAS) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, DC. For the past six years she served as President and CEO of NAS (which was recently merged with AIR), providing overall leadership to the business-led nonprofit organization that has shaped and driven the comprehensive school improvement movement in the United States. During her 11-year tenure at NAS, she also held positions as its COO, Vice President and Director of Communications and Public Policy. In addition, over the last year she served as Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations for AIR. Prior to joining NAS, she worked for the U.S. Department of Education as Director of the Goals 2000 Community Project, where she created and managed a support network for local communities seeking to improve education.

"After over 15 years in the school- and systems-improvement business, I have recognized that we will not succeed in "closing the achievement gap" in the absence of Say Yes to Education's type of focused youth and family development intervention," said Ms. Schmitt-Carey. "I welcome the challenge to improve the education opportunities for children in impoverished communities and will work to try and close that "gap," while continuing and building on the incredible work that Say Yes to Education has been doing for 19 years."

Ms. Schmitt-Carey earned her MBA degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in May 2001 and graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Albany in May 1987, earning a BA degree in political science.

"After an extensive search for a President, a newly created position, we are very excited to announce that Mary Anne has decided to join us," said Mr. Weiss. "She brings with her a wealth of experience that will allow Say Yes to Education to continue to provide the best education for our youngsters and further expand the program in the future."

Founded in 1987 by Hartford money manager George A. Weiss, Say Yes to Education, Inc. is a sponsorship and academic intervention program for inner-city students, which provides children with full college or vocational school scholarships. Not simply a scholarship program, Say Yes to Education forms partnerships with students and their entire families to provide them with full educational, emotional, social, legal and medical support--creating a positive, life-changing family endeavor to help break the cycle of poverty and dependency. It operates three chapters in Philadelphia, Hartford and Cambridge, and in 2004 opened its fourth and largest chapter yet in Harlem with 420 kindergartners. To date, Say Yes to Education has spent $33.4 million and the Harlem chapter will cost an estimated $60 million, of which Mr. Weiss will personally fund approximately one-third.