PRESS RELEASE
-For Immediate Release-
September 10, 2008

Contact: Brian Gumm, (202) 683-4812, bgumm@ombwatch.org

Jason Sabo Wins Award for Outstanding Public Interest Work in Texas

WASHINGTON, Sept 10, 2008—OMB Watch is pleased to announce that Jason Sabo, Senior Vice President at the United Ways of Texas, has won a Public Interest Rising Star Award for his outstanding public interest work in the Austin area and throughout the state. Sabo holds a Masters degree from Indiana University.

The Public Interest Rising Star Awards are part of OMB Watch's year-long 25th Anniversary celebration. They honor the outstanding, dedicated work of younger people and encourage their continued pursuit of government accountability, citizen participation, or social justice. Public Interest Rising Star Award winners will be recognized at OMB Watch's 25th Anniversary event in Washington, DC, the evening of Sept. 17.

At age 38, Jason is a tireless and effective advocate on behalf of children and families throughout the state of Texas. In his years of nonprofit public interest work, Jason has successfully built coalitions and achieved important educational and child welfare reforms. Beyond his direct policy development work, Jason is also a frequent speaker to audiences of nonprofit practitioners, philanthropists, and child advocates, where he stresses the importance of nonprofit participation in public policy development.

Upon learning of the award, Sabo said, "I am incredibly honored to receive this award from OMB Watch on its 25th anniversary. Now more than ever, OMB Watch is the gold standard of advocacy organizations and to be associated with a powerhouse of its caliber, integrity, and importance is humbling. I am also deeply moved to be included in this particular group of 'Rising Stars' — individuals whose dedication to protecting our democracy and serving those less fortunate is both inspired and inspiring."

Gary D. Bass, Executive Director at OMB Watch, offered his congratulations. "Jason is a true embodiment of what it means to be a public interest rising star. He has proven that even in the most difficult of political environments, smart nonprofit advocacy can change people's lives for the better and achieve real successes. He is selfless in his efforts to help Texas children and families; to Jason, it's not about making a pile of money at his job — it's about making the state and the world a better place for all. OMB Watch is proud to present Jason with one of five Public Interest Rising Star Awards."

The full list of award winners is available at /files/25th. There were roughly 100 nominees considered for the award. For more information about OMB Watch, see http://www.ombwatch.org/article/archive/250.

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Jason Sabo Bio

Jason Sabo is the Senior Vice President of United Ways of Texas and the Chief Operating Officer of Frontera 501 - a public affairs firm serving national and statewide nonprofit organizations. Jason is a highly regarded political organizer, focusing his work on issues impacting working families and low income children. Each year Jason advises hundreds of child advocates and other activists working in capitols across the country on the basics of nonprofit lobbying and strategy. Prior to joining United Way and launching Frontera 501, Jason worked at the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities and around the Texas capitol for five years as a policy analyst and lobbyist. Jason has worked as a teacher in the United States and Brazil and has also coordinated community-based youth employment, dropout prevention, and immigrant family literacy programs. He was made a Fellow of the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest in 2005 and the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution in 2008. Jason sits on the Board of Directors of Communities In Schools - Central Texas and is the co-chair of the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition. Jason holds a Master's degree in History from Indiana University and lives in Austin, Texas.

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OMB Watch is a nonprofit government watchdog organization dedicated to promoting government accountability, citizen participation in public policy decisions, and the use of fiscal and regulatory policy to serve the public interest