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MODERN SALON Media Vice President/Group Publisher Steve Reiss announced the 2015 Excellence in Education top honorees on Saturday, October 24, 2015, at the AACS Annual Convention & Expo in Phoenix, Arizona. Excellence in ...

MODERN SALON Media Vice President/Group Publisher Steve Reiss announced the 2015 Excellence in Education top honorees on Saturday, October 24, 2015, at the AACS Annual Convention & Expo in Phoenix, Arizona.
Excellence in Education was created in conjunction with a partnership between Modern Salon Media and the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS); the program helps the school community collect and share examples of great work being done across the country.
Two top honorees—one individual school location, and a multi-location school organization—were recognized in each of the eight categories.
BEAUTY CHANGES LIVES
Individual location: Paul Mitchell the School Esani, Roswell, GA
Multi-unit school: Bellus Academy, Poway, CA
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Individual location: Summit Salon Academy, Tacoma, WA
Multi-unit school: Empire Education Group, Pottsville, PA
FACILITIES
Individual location: Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design, Greenville, NC
Multi-unit school: Nurtur Aveda Institutes, Columbus, OH
THE NEXT LEVEL
Individual location: Eric Fisher Academy, Wichita, KS
Multi-unit school: TONI&GUY Hairdressing Academy, Plano, TX
MARKETING INNOVATION
Individual location: Penrose Academy, Scottsdale, AZ
Multi-unit school (tie):
Aveda Institutes South, Hammond, LA
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture, Oak Brook, IL
PLACEMENT
Individual location: Bella Capelli Academy, Pittsburgh, PA
Multi-unit school: Evergreen Beauty College, Everett, WA
SCHOOL CULTURE
Individual location: Clary Sage College, Tulsa, OK
Multi-unit school: Aveda Institute CO, AZ and UT, Denver, CO
TECHNOLOGY
Individual location: The Institute of Beauty and Wellness, Milwaukee, WI
Multi-unit school: Paul Mitchell Schools, Sandy, UT
"There are so many beauty schools out there doing amazing work," Reiss says. "We’d like to make sure they get the attention they deserve—especially at a time when our industry seems to have so many challenges. Excellence in Education gives us an opportunity to recognize their best practices and the wonderful job they are doing educating the next generation of professional stylists."

MODERN SALON sat down with Samuels to discuss the book, beauty education, mentorship and the habits that help beauty professionals thrive.

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