Pragmatics CEO Dr. Long Nguyen Selected as 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipient
McLean, VA, April 29, 2008 – Pragmatics, Inc. today announced that CEO Dr. Long Nguyen has been selected as a recipient of the 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation, Inc. (NECO) Board of Directors and Selection Committee. Dr. Nguyen will be one of 100 medalists honored at a ceremony held on Ellis Island, named for a national symbol of the diversity of America's people, on May 10th.
The medal is designed to honor the immigrant experience, as well as individual achievement. It is awarded to U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds who exemplify outstanding qualities in their personal and professional lives while preserving the richness of their heritage. Dr. Nguyen first came to the United States from Vietnam as a college student in 1960. He returned to the U.S. permanently in 1971, and in 1980 he and his family became U.S. citizens. He established Pragmatics, a leading information technology (IT) solutions provider, in 1985. Under his leadership the Company has grown to $80 million in revenue projected for fiscal year 2008, with 400 employees at three U.S. locations.
Dr. Nguyen is dedicated to public service and charitable contributions, and much of his activity centers around education and patriotic causes. He has endowed a chair in software engineering at Iowa State University and also made two endowments to the George Mason University School of Law. He serves on the George Mason Board of Visitors. He has organized numerous fundraising drives and charitable events for U.S. veterans and disaster victims, including a Hurricane Katrina relief fund that raised more than $50,000 and a Pentagon victim relief fund that raised over $25,000.
He has also made a number of contributions to his native country, including donations to several villages in Central Vietnam to build new walls, temples, and schools; scholarships at Saigon University; and Vietnamese Assistance for the Handicapped. He made an endowment to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. , for a Vietnamese American Heritage Project commemorating 30 years of mass Vietnamese migration to the United States.
Paul Strasser, Pragmatics Chief Operating Officer, said, “Dr. Nguyen is an extraordinary individual who is truly deserving of this honor. His generosity and continuing efforts to improve the lives of others, both in the United States and in Vietnam, make him a role model for success in business and in life. Dr. Nguyen is a very patriotic American who is always seeking ways to give something back for the American freedom and opportunities he so enjoys.”
About Pragmatics, Inc.
Pragmatics is a leading IT solutions provider for software engineering and systems integration, systems engineering, information assurance, IT infrastructure management, and program management support. Pragmatics has been externally appraised at CMMI® Level 4 and ISO 9001:2000 certified. Our investment in both the CMMI and ISO programs demonstrates our organizational commitment to continuous process improvement and quality management.
Pragmatics serves customers from its headquarters in McLean, Virginia. For additional information about the Company, please visit www.pragmatics.com or contact Linda Alkire, Marketing Manager, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 703.761.4033 x 1264.