Actor Kevin Nealon to Serve as Honorary Celebrity Ambassador for the Automotive Industry Education Foundation.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Automotive Industry Education Foundation is pleased to announce that celebrated actor, writer and comedian Kevin Nealon will serve as Honorary Celebrity Ambassador for the Foundation.

Foundation Chairman & CEO Alan Algan said, "I am a long-time fan of Kevin Nealon's work on stage, in movies and on television. His distinctive talent and dedication to environmental and charitable causes will help raise awareness regarding our Foundation's mission, its fundraising appeals, and its national scholarship programs. We are extremely honored that Kevin has agreed to support the Foundation's efforts."

With his unique sense of humor, profound dry wit and likeable demeanor, Kevin Nealon has established himself as one of the premier television, theatrical and stand-up comedians of his generation.

As a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" (1986-1995), Kevin is most recognized for the characters he created, including "The Subliminal Man" and "Hans and Franz," and anchoring "Weekend Update."

Currently, Kevin can be seen on Showtime's critically acclaimed, Golden Globe-winning hit "Weeds."

Kevin, who made his film debut in the 1987 romantic comedy, "Roxanne" with Steve Martin, has gone on to star in over two dozen comedies, including "Happy Gilmore" and "The Wedding Singer," both with Adam Sandler, "Anger Management" with Jack Nicholson, "Grandma's Boy," "Daddy Day Care" with Eddie Murphy, and "Good Boy!" opposite another SNL alum, Molly Shannon.

His most recent film, "Remarkable Power," will be released later this year.

Kevin also has been interested in environmental matters, and fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles for many years. In the mid-1990s he drove the infamous EV1, the first electric vehicle model produced by General Motors (GM) and made available to enthusiasts in the U.S.

It was a futuristic-looking two-seater powered by batteries that could be recharged overnight at home. Approximately 1100 of the EV1 vehicles were manufactured, and GM provided them to a select group of drivers in California and Arizona. More than 800 of the cars were leased with the provision that the leaseholders return them to GM when their leases expired.

Kevin says of the vehicle, "I loved that electric car. It was quiet, sleek and fast. It's in the shop now, though. I'm having a gas engine put in it, but I loved it -- absolutely loved it."

Today, Kevin continues to demonstrate his interest in state-of-the-art vehicles and his concern for the environment by driving a hybrid car, and by riding his bike and taking long walks along the promenades bordering Southern California's beaches.

About The Automotive Industry Education Foundation

The Automotive Industry Education Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Arizona corporation established as a public charity and endowment fund dedicated to providing scholarships to students across the nation who are pursuing or advancing careers in the automotive industry. The Foundation will focus its support on students seeking to participate in, or advance: new vehicle design; new vehicle engineering and production; the development of fuel-efficient vehicles; the development of alternative fuel vehicles; and other automotive studies.

The Automotive Industry Education Foundation's Founding Donors Campaign will seek to raise $5 million dollars through personal appeals made to the public, to major corporations, and by Foundation supporters to their networks of contacts in the automotive industry. The Foundation's "Drive For $5 Million" will establish the corpus of a perpetual endowment fund that the Foundation will continue to build upon. The Foundation is seeking partners in the community, in entertainment, and in business and industry who are interested in helping to transform the types of vehicles we drive and their effects on the world in which we live. For more information regarding ways you can help, gifts to the Foundation, and the Foundation's scholarship programs, please visit www.autoedfuture.com or contact the Foundation president, Joseph Kenny.