President George W. Bush Appoints NCEE's Robert F. Duvall to Newly Created President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy

Notable appointment of the President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on Economic Education further acknowledges the importance of economics, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education as essential to America's place as leader in the global market

For Immediate Release

Contact: Ms. Naheed Elyasi
nelyasi@ncee.net / 212-730-1064

Washington, DC - January 22, 2008 -- President George W. Bush, supported by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and U.S. Treasurer Anna Cabral, in the Oval Office, today established the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy and appointed National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) CEO, Dr. Robert Duvall, a Member.

"We have confidence in the long-term strength of America. And so should the American people. This is a flexible, this is a resilient, this is a dynamic economy, and the entrepreneurial spirit is high. We want people to understand basic financial concepts, and how credit cards work and how credit scores affect you, how you can benefit from a savings account or a bank account. And this group of citizens has taken the lead, and I appreciate it," stated President Bush.

With the pointed and timely charge of keeping America competitive and assisting citizens in understanding and addressing financial matters, the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy will focus squarely on economic empowerment issues. On the non-partisan Council, consisting of 19 members, Duvall joins a select group of distinguished individuals from the business, non-profit and education sectors from across the nation. The President's Council will be chaired by Charles R. Schwab, Chairman and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation.

Dr. Duvall will serve a 2-year term and will represent the views of economic educators around the country. His duties will include working with the Council to advise the President and Treasury Secretary on how to reinforce and continue to improve financial education efforts for students, advocate for and establish ever-more effective measures of national financial literacy, and promote efficient and effective access to financial services, particularly for those without access to such services.

"With the establishment of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, President Bush has re-affirmed the profound importance of improving financial literacy in America," said Duvall. "I am very proud to work with such distinguished colleagues on furthering economic education at this crucial point in time."

Dr. Duvall came to the NCEE, headquartered in New York City, as President and Chief Executive Officer in the spring of 1995. Prior to joining the NCEE, he was President of Pacific University in Oregon.

Through the NCEE, Duvall leads the effort to improve the effective teaching of basic and applied principles of economics and personal financial decision-making skills in the nation's schools, K-12, and also internationally, with the goal of preparing every young person for a successful life in the "real" world.

The NCEE ( www.ncee.net ) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving economic and financial literacy. Both directly and through its unique nationwide network of state Councils and more than 200 university based Centers for Economic Education, NCEE's programs reach more than 150,000 K-12 teachers and over 15 million students in more than 70,000 schools each year.

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