Baltimore, Md. – University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III has been named as one of Fast Company magazine's debut list of “Fast 50” innovators – individuals whose achievements helped change their companies or society.

The Fast 50 will appear in the March issue of Fast Company, the nation's leading magazine for management innovators, hitting newsstands on February 19. The list includes 50 exceptional achievers selected from online submissions by Fast Company readers. Profiles of the Fast 50, as well as all reader submissions, may be accessed online at the special Fast 50 website at www.fastcompany.com/fast50 .

“The Fast 50 had the vision to see ways of improving our world – and the persistence to accomplish their goals,” said Fast Company co-founder and co-editor Alan Webber. “At a time when our nation is rediscovering what it means to be a hero, the Fast 50 recognizes 50 individuals who are each courageous in their own way.”

The Fast 50 includes executives, activists, marketers, designers, scientists, engineers and other leaders from a variety of backgrounds. Some are solo entrepreneurs and researchers. Others come from a wide range or organizations – from large corporations to non-profit groups. Individuals in the Fast 50 are divided into the following categories:
- Leaders – “senior executives who create value through the power of ideas, the intensity of their commitment, and the authenticity of their character”- Change Agents – “activists determined to change the status quo and make a positive impact”- Disrupters – “scientists and engineers who alter our sense of what's possible”- Trendsetters – “creative thinkers whose sense of style and persuasion change what our world looks like and how our products perform”- Social Entrepreneurs – “dedicated innovators determined to tackle society's deepest challenges by embracing new ideas from the world of business”

Hrabowski, named as a change agent on the Fast 50 list, co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program in 1988 to address the shortage of minorities in science, math, and engineering Ph.D. programs.

Hrabowski has served as President of UMBC since May of 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. Born in Birmingham, Ala., Hrabowski graduated at 19 from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics, and he received his M.A. (mathematics) and Ph.D. (higher education administration/statistics) at 24 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and universities and school systems nationally, and he sits on numerous corporate and civic boards. Dr. Hrabowski is co-author of the books, Beating the Odds (Oxford, 1998), focusing on parenting and high-achieving African American males in science, and Overcoming the Odds, on successful young black women in science (Oxford, 2002).

The Fast 50 were selected by a distinguished panel consisting of astronaut Sally Ride, management guru Tom Peters, noted futurist Watts Wacker, Kevin Roberts, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Zoe Baird, President, Markle Foundation.

Founded in 1996 and published monthly, Boston-based Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com) covers ideas, trends and individuals devoted to managing change in today's economy. The magazine was acquired in 2000 by G + J USA, one of America's largest magazine publishers. Fast Company is part of the company's newly-formed Business Innovator Group.

G + J USA also publishes Inc., Child, Family Circle, Fitness, Homestyle, Inc., Parents, Rosie, and YM. The company is 25.1% owned by the Jahr Group and 74.9% owned by Bertelsmann AG, the largest privately held and the fifth largest media company in the world with yearly revenues at $16 billion.