AOL Launches Annual Scholarship Program to Support Women and Minority Business Owners.

DULLES, Va. -- Lisa Harrison, Owner of Ideaprints, LLC, to Receive First Scholarship

AOL today announced the launch of an annual award designed to support the advancement of minority and women business owners. The scholarship is designed to provide AOL's diverse business partners the opportunity to attend leadership development programs aimed at minority- and women-owned businesses. AOL also announced the inaugural recipient of the award -- Lisa Harrison of Ideaprints, LLC, a Chantilly, VA-based marketing consulting company. The scholarship will pay for Ms. Harrison to attend the Darden Minority Business Executive Education Program, offered by the University of Virginia.

"We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to Lisa, who has demonstrated real skill and determination in building her business, and who came highly recommended by her clients at AOL," said Tiane Mitchell Gordon, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at AOL. "And we look forward to using the scholarship program to help more minority- and women-owned businesses succeed."

"I am honored and excited to be the first to receive AOL's new scholarship award," Lisa said. "As a minority and woman business owner, I face unique challenges, and I know that the Darden program will help me take my business to the next level. I'm grateful to AOL for their confidence in me and for giving me this unique learning opportunity."

The scholarship is part of AOL's Supplier Diversity program, which is dedicated to ensuring that minority and women-owned companies have the opportunity to work with AOL. Future plans for the annual scholarship program include offering awards to more than one recipient, and providing funds for enrollment in specialized courses geared toward current issues affecting the minority-owned business community.

The Darden Minority Business Executive Education Program provides minority- and women-owned businesses with a solid base in general management, coupled with the special nuances created by the minority- and women-owned status. The intensive course offers three main streams: leadership, finance and negotiation. It is especially helpful to owners and executives of small- to medium-sized businesses who must commit to developing personal management and leadership skill-sets to compete in today's rapidly changing environments.

About AOL

AOL and its subsidiaries operate a leading network of Web brands and the largest Internet access subscription service in the United States. Web brands include the AOL.com(R) website, AIM(R), MapQuest(R) and Netscape(R). AOL offers a range of digital services in the areas of education, safety and security, communications and music. The company also has operations in Europe and Canada. AOL LLC is a majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc and is based in Dulles, Virginia.