Girls Inc. Strengthens Board of Directors with Five New Appointments

Girls Incorporated Strengthens Board of Directors with Five New Appointments
Star Jones, Jill Barad, Stedman Graham, Debra Lee, John Morgan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2001

New York, NY, June 28, 2001 - Girls Incorporated, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, announced today five new appointments to its Board of Directors.

The new Board members are; Jill E. Barad, former chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel, Inc.; Stedman Graham, chairman and chief executive officer of S. Graham & Associates, an educational company that creates customized corporate training and leadership development programs; Star Jones, co-host of ABC's The View; Debra L. Lee, president and chief operating officer of BET Holdings, Inc., a multi-media entertainment corporation and the parent company of Black Entertainment Television; and Minneapolis businessman John Morgan.

The new members will participate in the governance of the 55-year-old, $12 million organization as well as assist in fundraising endeavors supporting programming for girls' nationwide.

"We want girls all over the country to be inspired by our message of being strong, smart, and bold and our new board members share that commitment," said Joyce Roch', President and Chief Executive Officer of Girls Inc. "The leadership these appointments bring to our Board will be invaluable as we move to expand our reach to millions of more girls across the country."

Barad, of Los Angeles, California, currently leads her own consulting firm and brings her marketing savvy to the Board. Under her leadership at Mattel, the Barbie' brand partnered with Girls Inc. to promote girls' rights on many Barbie products, including the Working Woman Barbie and Barbie for President 2000.

Graham, of Chicago, brings a passion for education and a commitment to youth and community service to the board. He is adjunct professor at The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He also serves as distinguished visiting professor at Coker College, and a visiting professor at George Washington University. Graham founded The Leadership Institute of Chicago and Athletes Against Drugs and has written several books about personal growth including two New York Times Bestsellers, You Can Make It Happen and Teens Can Make It Happen. Simon and Schuster just published Graham's fifth book, Build Your Own Life Brand, which explores the concept of personal branding, a powerful strategy to maximize your potential and enhance your value.

Jones, popular co-host of ABC's talk show The View, signed on to the Girls Inc. Girls' Bill of Rights campaign over a year ago as a celebrity spokesperson. Jones, of New York, is a lawyer and former prosecutor who made her television debut as a studio commentator for Court TV during the William Kennedy rape trial. She became the NBC legal correspondent for Today and Nightly News. Photograph by Andrew Eccles.

Lee, of Washington, D.C., brings to the Board years of business know-how. Lee currently serves as president and chief operating officer of BET Holdings, Inc. Prior to her appointment in March 1996, Lee served as the network's executive vice president of strategic business development. Lee served as the network's executive vice president of strategic business development and as general counsel.

Morgan, a private investor who lives in Minneapolis is well known for his commitment to youth charities benefiting minority and inner-city children. He first became involved with Girls Incorporated when he purchased the wallet of popular investor, Warren Buffett in a fundraising auction sponsored by Girls Incorporated of Omaha. In 1982, Morgan started his own company, Winthrop Resources and took the company public ten years later. Winthrop Resources merged with TCF Bank in 1997, and Mr. Morgan retired in 2000. He is now a private investor, serving as chairman of the board for GROW BIZ, a franchiser for 1200 recycling businesses, including the Play It Again Sports franchises.