NIRI-Chicago Names 2010-2011 Officers and Directors

CHICAGO – June 24, 2010 – The Chicago Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI-Chicago) announced today that it has elected six officers and seven directors for the 2010-2011 term.

"Our new board is committed to providing a wide range of professional development and networking opportunities to NIRI-Chicago members," said incoming NIRI-Chicago president Maryellen T. Thielen. "Meeting these two needs is increasingly important as new regulations and demanding investors create greater challenges for investor relations officers and counselors. NIRI-Chicago's new program year starts in August with programs ranging from a full-day IR Workshop to informal breakfast roundtable meetings to discuss IR issues of the day. We also intend to foster an increased sense of professional community, both in person and online."

The NIRI-Chicago Chapter board for 2010-2011 is comprised of the following members:

Officers

President: Maryellen T. Thielen, ABC, senior manager, financial communications, Allstate [NYSE: ALL]. This is Thielen's fifth year serving NIRI-Chicago. She previously was executive vice president and vice president-communications. Thielen is an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC), a designation awarded by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) to practitioners who have met global standards for strategic communications management.

Executive Vice President: Steven D. Carr, J.D., CCEP, managing director, Dresner Corporate Services Inc. Carr was previously chairman, president, executive vice president and a director of NIRI-Chicago. He holds a J.D. and is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP).

Vice President-Programs: Lisa I. Ciota, principal, Strategic & Investor Communications. This is Ciota's sixth year on the board. She previously was a director at large and led the chapter's sponsorship and webcast programs.

Vice President-Treasurer: William H. Pfund, vice president, investor relations, WMS Industries Inc. [NYSE: WMS]. This is Pfund's third year on the NIRI-Chicago board and his second year as treasurer.

Vice President-Membership: Steven P. Eschbach, CFA, vice president, investor relations, Integrys Energy Group, Inc. [NYSE: TEG]. This is Eschbach's third year serving as vice president-membership. He is the past president of the NIRI Rocky Mountain Chapter (2001) and past president of the NIRI Connecticut/Westchester Chapter (2006-2007).

Vice President-Communications: Janine Warell, senior director, corporate communications, SPSS, an IBM company. This is her first year on the NIRI-Chicago board.

Directors

Chairman: Patricia M. (Patty) Paul, principal, ButtonWood Associates. This is Paul's fourth year on the NIRI-Chicago board, where she has served as president, executive vice president and vice president-programs. She was previously co-chair of the IR Workshop, the chapter's largest event; has co-chaired and presented at NIRI national conferences; and served on the board of NIRI's New York Chapter.

Director: Christine J. Hanneman, vice president, investor relations at Pactiv Corp. [NYSE: PTV]. Hanneman previously served six years as vice president-treasurer for the chapter.

Director: Elizabeth M. Higashi, CFA, Principal, Sard Verbinnen & Co. This is Higashi's third year serving on the board. She previously was vice president-programs.

Director: Kevin P. Kelly, managing director, Morrow & Co., LLC. Kelly has served as president, executive vice president and vice president-programs and chaired the Chapter's IR workshop for three years.

Director: Lisa Meers, CFA, manager, investor relations, Walgreen Co. [NYSE: WAG]. This is her first year on the board.

Director: Michael A. Steele, CFA, director, investor relations, OfficeMax Inc. [NYSE: OMX]. This is his first year on the board.

Director: Ruth E. Venning, director, investor relations, Hospira, Inc. [NYSE: HSP]. Venning has served as president, executive vice president, vice president-programs and vice president-communications and is chairing the 2010 NIRI-Chicago workshop. Before that, she chaired the NIRI-Chicago IR Workshop for three years.

Advisory Board Members and Departing Board Members

The chapter officers and directors extend their gratitude to the following who are departing the board:

William D. Chapman, director, investor relations, W.W. Grainger, Inc. [NYSE: GWW]. Chapman previously served as chairman, president, executive vice president, vice presidentprograms and as a director of the chapter.

Douglas A. Fox, CFA, vice president, investor relations and treasurer, Zebra Technologies Corp. [NASDAQ: ZBRA]. Fox most recently served as a director at large.

Jeffrey B. Goldsmith, regional vice president, Curran & Connors, Inc. Goldsmith most recently served as vice president-communications.

David A. Prichard, managing director, Demakos Partners. He has served as chairman, president, executive vice president, vice president-programs and vice president-treasurer, as well as a director of the chapter. Prichard also serves on the board of NIRI at the national level and earlier this month, co-hosted the annual NIRI national conference.

Chapman and Prichard will be joining Thomas J. Laughran, senior vice president and partner, Fleishman-Hillard Inc., and William H. Parke, director, corporate marketing and financial communications, CME Group on the Chapter's advisory board.

About NIRI-Chicago
The Chicago chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI-Chicago) works to advance the practice of investor relations and meet the growing professional development needs of those engaged in the field. The members of NIRI-Chicago include corporate officers, consultants, service providers, academics and others involved in the practice of investor relations, which is a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance. NIRI-Chicago is one of the largest NIRI chapters in the United States and the recipient of several NIRI awards for large chapters, including Best Chapter, Best Special Events and Best Communications. More information is available at www.niri-chicago.org.

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