Dr. Randi D. Ward, Educator, Writer, Entrepreneur and Founder of Rise Up for adults and the English Institute for preschool children, two language centers in Cairo, Egypt, has recently been chosen to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021 given by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP).
While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a few members are chosen for the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. These special honorees are distinguished based on their longevity in their fields, their contributions they have made to society and the impact they have had on their industries. Randi will be honored for this distinction at IAOTP’s 2021Annual Awards Gala being held at the Plaza Hotel in NYC this December. Moreover, Randi will also accept her recognitions as IAOTP’s 2020 Educator of the Decade in Language Arts and as the Top Female Visionary of the Year for 2020. Randi has received the 2019 IAOTP Empowered Woman of the Year Award and was inducted into its exclusive Hall of Fame. Named as Top Female Professional of the Year in 2018, Randi also had the honor of speaking at IAOTP’s Annual Award Gala. In 2017 she was selected as Top Professional of the Year in Language Arts by IAOTP. www.iaotp.com/award-gala
Randi is being recognized for this distinction for having over four decades of professional experience as an ambitious business entrepreneur, award-winning author and for her successful teaching career. Randi graduated valedictorian of the Moundsville High School Class of 1967. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Language Arts and her Master of Arts Degree in Education for teaching Gifted and Talented for Grades K through 12 from Marshall University. Randi began her career as a Remedial Reading and Language Arts Teacher and was one of the first gifted/talented teachers in West Virginia. After retiring from the Gwinnett County Public Schools in Metro-Atlanta, Georgia, she went on to work as an ESL educator in Cairo, Egypt, teaching English to Egyptian university students, university graduates, and professionals seeking to become fluent in English.
Once retired from teaching, Randi founded “Rise Up” an adult English Language Center with partners Ahmed Mohamed and Ehab Mohamed (former students of hers in Cairo) and then opened a second English center in Cairo with her partner Samar Farouk. 6 October English Institute taught Egyptian students from ages 5 months to 5 years old as well as offered classes to Egyptian parents and adults. Randi taught these classes via Skype from her home in Georgia. This role was fitting for Ms Ward because she was able to utilize her diverse background and experience, her creative talents, her imagination, and her writing and language skills. When the educational institute was forced to close in early 2015, Randi picked up her pen and paper and decided to continue her writing career. Her first book “Because I Believed in Me (My Egyptian Fantasy Came True),” a true life-changing adventure filled with terror, enchantment, joy, and magical rebirth, was published in 2012. Randi has completed three other books: “Dream Bigger” which is a collection of adult reading level short stories, a collection of children’s short stories entitled “Fables and Rhymes for All Times”, and her world travel adventure novel entitled “Random Wanderings.” She is currently working on this novel’s sequel “Wandering No More”. She hopes to publish them in the future. In 2020 she became a #1 Best-Selling International Author in the anthology “Quarentena and Beyond” and in 2021 International Best-Selling Author in “Global Achievers, Volume 1”. She will be in four new 2021 books: “Red Blazer”, “Finding Joy in the Journey, Vol. 2”, “Expert Business Leaders”, and “100 Successful Women in Business 2021”.
This fascinating woman is also working on her poetry, creating motivational videos for YouTube, writing blogs, and designing motivational t-shirts while writing lyrics to her first song. Randi is the Chief Editor and a Contributing Writer for “Morocco Pens” (an online magazine founded by Ayoub Elkadi) and an Administrator for Arabian Online Press on Facebook. Later this year, she will also be the Chief Editor for two new magazines “All Women Rock” and “Inspirations for Better Living Magazine”. Soon she will create her new video interview platform. It is her desire to introduce the world to other “big dreamers” like her and to recognize and highlight the amazing work they are doing to help their communities and/or humanity. She also enjoys helping Facebook friends (now considered like family) who have moved to the USA as legal immigrants.
Having traveled with her recently deceased husband Bill to 60 countries in four continents, she has seen how some people sadly struggle in various parts of the world. Being a proud American, she wants others to experience the incredible lifestyle with which she has been blessed. Thus, she and her husband Bill (along with their Saint Bernard Savannah) have hosted six Egyptian and two Moroccan immigrants in their home over the past eight years. Her life philosophy is reflected in her copyrighted quote: “Believe! Don’t dream big; dream bigger! The sky is the limit so reach for the stars!”
Randi remains active in her community and has been recognized worldwide for her outstanding leadership and commitment to the profession. In 2019 she traveled to South Africa and three other African countries, where her mission was to help endangered animals. She is the USA Regional Director of the Africa Nomads Conservation in Kenya and works with founder Noor Santosian and is also a Coordinator and Honorary President of World Peace Forest (Africa) in Egypt founded by Ambassador/Doctor Mahmoud Hassouna. Her other projects include Lion Encounter advocate in Zimbabwe, writer/editor for ChemoBuddies4Life e-magazine for 2019 Impactor Winner Tamara L. Hunter, editor/writer for magazine “Morocco Pens” and two upcoming 2021 mentioned earlier, and USA Advisor for International Youth Society.
Randi is a multi-award recipient. In 2014 she was selected as Entrepreneur of the Year by Worldwide Who’s Who and was highlighted in its annual calendar for the month of March. In 2015 she was honored as this organization’s Distinguished Worldwide Humanitarian of the Year and as a Top Female Executive in 2014 as well an Inductee, Elite American Artist (2015). Later that year Randi was named a Pinnacle Professional member of Continental Who’s Who. In 2015 she was inducted into the National Association of Professional Women (now IAW) and honored as “Woman of the Year”. In 2016 she was named “Professional of the Year” by the International Association of Who’s Who and became a Delegate for International Women’s Leadership Association. IWLA published her article “Taking the Needed Risks” in its “Choices” magazine in June 2016 on which she appeared on the cover and did a YouTube video interview with her. She appeared in the magazine “Women of Distinction” in October 2016 and was interviewed in a podcast. International Society of Business Leaders selected her as Editor of 2016. She is highlighted in the 2017 book edition of Strathmore’s Who’s Who as a VIP member. In 2018 she was selected by Marquis Who’s Who as a Top Female Executive and as an Outstanding Author for its sister organization Women of Excellence and will featured in its 2021 Registry Book. She was recognized in a 2018 article in POWER magazine and was also featured in TIP (Top Industry Professionals) Magazine. One of her short stories “Isabella’s Undying Love” was launched in a Valentine Anthology book called “A Cup of Love” along with 29 other award-winning authors and members of Walton Writers in Monroe, GA, founded by Barbara Barth. The profits from this book are donated to First Book (an organization that gives away free books to children). In 2019 she received an award from Top 100 Registry as Woman of the Year in Writing and Woman of the Year for Language Arts in 2020. In 2020 she received the “She Inspires Me” award, 2021 WAW Hall of Fame; 2021 100 Successful Women in Business Awardee and Conference Speaker; Marshall University Star Alumni in two 2020 publications; Red Blazer and White Blazer Awardee, Humanitarian award, and crown recipient (All Women Rock); Beautiful Survivors Award and Inspiring Global Change Maker, and Service Hero Awardee, two awards from International Youth Business Community, and Global Achievers Club Exclusive Leadership Member. She is a member of WWCA, LOANI, WAW, Global Trade Chamber, WWV, and WPN. She will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarianism in June 2021.
Ms Ward is now a Visionary Book Consultant Coach and Master Editor (Career #3) after acquiring four coaching certifications, Harmony Life Coach, Holistic Emotional Intelligence Coach, NLP, and Communication Mastery in 2020. She is also a sought-after speaker and lecturer. Randi has been interviewed in over 50 USA/International radio/video programs, including her April 7, 2020, Indie Beacon Radio video interview, Wisdom Café, Dancing with Words, and others in the USA as well as 2021 interviews in the UK, South Africa, Australia, Zimbabwe, India, Nigeria. Her Egyptian adventure memoir was documented in two Egyptian newspapers and two magazines in 2013. In 2019 she appeared in “Voyage ATL Magazine”. In August 2019 she was honored with an article in “Marquis Millennial Magazine” and was highlighted on the magazine cover. Hopefully by the end of 2021, her new murder short story “A Baker’s Half Dozen” will appear in the future anthology “A Cup of Cyanide” with other writers from her Walton Writers group in Monroe, GA. Her other professional writers’ organizations include Scribblers Christian Writers, Southeastern Writers Association, and Atlanta Writers.
The President of IAOTP, Stephanie Cirami stated, “Choosing Randi for this honor was an easy decision for our panel to make. She is empathetic, patient and engaging. Her knowledge of learning and optimism are what shaped her career, educating many students all over the world. We are so lucky to have Randi’s support and she adds value to our organization. We cannot wait to commemorate her this year for all of her merits on stage at the Plaza Hotel in NYC.”
Looking back, Randi credits her success to her drive and passion for learning and her tremendous foresight and perseverance. In the future she hopes to continue providing educational tools to people internationally and to entertain and educate people through her various works of literature.
For more information on Randi please visit: www.randidward.com and
View her video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2Ih2tAZ32Q
About IAOTP
The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization that handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers, and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.
IAOTP’s experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires. IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals to one place.
For More information on IAOTP please visit: www.iaotp.com
