Embry-Riddle Trustee Mori Hosseini Honored

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Embry-Riddle Trustee Mori Hosseini to Receive Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Daytona Beach, Fla., May 10, 2006 -- Mori Hosseini, chairman and CEO of ICI Homes and a trustee of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will receive the Ellis Island Medal of Honor on Saturday, May 13, 2006, at a ceremony in the Great Hall on Ellis Island, N.Y.

Ellis Island Medals of Honor are awarded annually by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations in recognition of distinguished Americans of various ethnic backgrounds for their extraordinary contributions to society. Four U.S. presidents, several members of Congress, and Nobel Prize winners have previously received the award. Honorees’ names are listed in the Congressional Record.

“I was deeply moved and very humbled by such an honor,” Hosseini said. “To even be considered for this award among the esteemed recipients who precede me was something I never could have anticipated. My commitment is to continue to devote my efforts to those humanitarian causes where I can do the most good, because I feel it is just the right thing to do.”

Hosseini’s company, ICI Homes, which he founded in 1980, is one of the largest residential homebuilders and developers in Florida. Besides land development and homebuilding, he is involved in other enterprises throughout the state employing thousands of people.

Over the years, Hosseini has been supportive of several area organizations. Embry-Riddle named its sports complex the ICI Center after a generous contribution from him, and the hospitality center at Daytona Beach Community College will be named the Mori Hosseini Center when construction is completed.

Hosseini was born in Iran and was initially educated in London, where he received a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from the Chelsea College of Aeronautical Engineering. He and his wife, Forough, came to the United States in 1977 and settled in Daytona Beach, where he earned a B.S in aeronautical studies and an MBA from Embry-Riddle. The Hosseinis have three daughters.

Embry-Riddle, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering and meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 32,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Extended Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, and through distance learning.