Millstein Center Names Rising Stars of Corporate Governance for 2009

New Haven, Conn., June 10, 2009 – The Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management today announced the recipients of its second annual Rising Star of Corporate Governance Award. This award recognizes global corporate governance professionals under the age of 40 who are making their mark as outstanding analysts, experts, activists, or managers.

"This is the second year that we, at the Center, have had the privilege to honor young and upcoming professionals in corporate governance through this Rising Stars award," said Ira M. Millstein, Senior Associate Dean for Corporate Governance at the Yale School of Management. "Their work is even more meaningful this year given the financial crisis, corporate governance failures, and need for reform. We are hoping to foster a Rising Stars Network of Excellence going forward."

The Rising Stars of Corporate Governance for 2009 are:

• Nada Abdelsater-Abusamra, Attorney at Law, Partner, Raphaël & Associés Law Firm 
• George M. Anderson, Partner, Tapestry Networks 
• Stephen L. Brown, Director & Associate General Counsel, Corporate Governance, TIAA-CREF
• Evelynne Change, Coordinator for Corporate Governance, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat, New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
• Deborah Gilshan, Corporate Governance Counsel, Railpen Investments (a subsidiary of rpmi)
• David Hess, Assistant Professor of Business Law & Business Ethics, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan 
• Elizabeth Ising, Associate Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP 
• Alexis B. Krajeski, Associate Director, Governance and Sustainable Investment, F&C Investments 
• Rachel C. Lee, Senior Corporate Counsel, EMC Corporation
• Julieta Rodríguez Molina, Associate Attorney, Galindo, Arias & López

"The diversity of this year’s awardees, in terms of both home country and industry, is simply wonderful,” said Stephen Davis, Senior Fellow of the Millstein Center. "We had so many great nominees from around the world; it was tough to narrow it down to ten finalists. But each of the finalists chosen is truly outstanding in their field; we are honored to celebrate them at the 2009 Governance Forum."

The recipients were nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of leaders from the Millstein Center, the Open Compliance and Ethics Group, the International Corporate Governance Network, and Weil Gotshal & Manges based on criteria such as past accomplishments and thought leadership, future projects and endeavors, reputation among existing industry leaders, and potential to influence the industry in the future.

The Rising Stars will be honored at a reception this evening at the fourth annual Yale Governance Forum.

The Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management is a leading global resource for testing, challenging and advancing the premise that corporations should and can serve society.

The Center focuses on the inter-relationship of management, the board of directors, shareholders, and stakeholders in creating long-term corporate shareholder value in today’s complex and competitive economy, while at the same time meeting the heightened expectations of society. The Center pursues its mission by convening events; sponsoring empirical research; generating policy briefings; building market capacity by developing training, databases and institutions; and teaching and student interaction. For more information about the Millstein Center, please visit: http://millstein.som.yale.edu/.