CHANTILLY, VA--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 21, 2008 -- AMERICAN SYSTEMS, a government and commercial IT solutions provider and one of the top 100 employee-owned companies in the U.S., today announced that Philip Hill, vice president and director of information technology optimization, is the recipient of the 5th Annual Carnegie Mellon® Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Member Outstanding Advocate Award.

"As a strong proponent of the SEI organization, Phil influences and shapes the membership program, ultimately driving software systems innovation that is so critical to the success of significant technology initiatives," said William C. Hoover, president and CEO, AMERICAN SYSTEMS. "His commitment to furthering the technology industry as a whole is one of many reasons why he is an incredibly valuable and appreciated member of the AMERICAN SYSTEMS team."

Part of Carnegie Mellon University, the SEI operates as a hub for technology innovation. The organization's staff advances software engineering principles and practices and serves as a national resource in software engineering, computer security and process improvement. The SEI works closely with defense and government organizations, industry and academia to continually improve software-intensive systems.

The SEI Member Awards acknowledge those SEI members who have had a significant impact on the SEI community by facing a specific problem or challenge, implementing an innovative solution or achieving measurable results in one of the following categories: Advocate, Contributor and Representative. Hill was selected in the Advocate category for actively engaging the member community, leading by example to provide exceptional support, promotion, and sponsorship of SEI membership, and maximizing and utilizing member benefits to the fullest.

Hill was presented with the award by SEI director and CEO Dr. Paul Nielsen at the SEPG North America 2008 conference on March 18, 2008.

About AMERICAN SYSTEMS

Founded in 1975, AMERICAN SYSTEMS is one of the largest employee-owned companies in the United States, with approximately 1,500 employees nationwide. Based in the Washington, DC, suburb of Chantilly, VA, the company provides systems engineering, technical and managed services to government and enterprise customers. AMERICAN SYSTEMS was named "Contractor of the Year" at the Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards in October 2007. For more information, please visit: www.AmericanSystems.com.

     Contact:
     Cory Porter
     Sage Communications (for AMERICAN SYSTEMS)
     703.584.5646
     coryp@aboutsage.com