Bob Turner, senior vice president corporate relations, Union Pacific and president, UP Foundation, welcomed more than 600 public high school principals to the fifth annual Principals’ Partnership Summer Leadership Institute, thanking them for the hard work they do every day.

“The Principals’ Partnership has become a vibrant, powerful, unique network,” he said during the opening reception. “You are the leaders of one of your community’s most valuable assets—its public schools—and you have one of our nation’s greatest responsibilities—educating its children.”

Calling Union Pacific a “growing, ethically strong company,” Turner told the principals UP is committed to supporting them as they work to move their communities forward. “We, at Union Pacific, are impressed with you.”

The principals are gathered in Phoenix for four days of professional development. Additional coverage of the Institute will be posted on the Web site throughout this week.