Loren Starr of AMVESCAP Assumes Chairmanship of Association for Financial Professionals Board

Association for Financial Professionals Announces New Board Members

November 8, 2006 – BETHESDA, MD – Loren M. Starr, CTP, senior managing director and chief financial officer of AMVESCAP, has assumed the chairmanship of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Board of Directors. Elected by the AFP membership, Starr will serve a two-year term as AFP Board Chairman. Starr assumed the chairmanship at the end of the AFP Annual Conference, October 15-18, 2006.

Starr has been a member of AFP since 1996 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2002, most recently as vice chairman of the Board. He also served on the AFP Board from 1999-2001, during which time he chaired the Special Committee for Strategic Planning in 2001. Starr succeeds Sally Smedal as chairman of the AFP Board.

Prior to joining AMVESCAP, Starr served as senior vice president and CFO of Janus Capital Group from 2001-2005 and as head of corporate finance at Putman Investments from 1998-2001. Earlier in his career, Starr held senior corporate finance roles at Lehman Brothers, Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. Starr lives in Atlanta, GA.

"I am delighted to serve the AFP and be part of setting the direction of this organization. With globalization, advances in technology, and sweeping changes in regulations, the demands on financial professionals, at all levels, continues to grow at a rapid pace. The AFP is committed to providing the information, education, expertise and advocacy to help all finance professionals succeed and move forward in their careers. It is my goal to see AFP continue its momentum and success in realizing this objective."

Joining Starr as vice chairman on the AFP Board are Jim Gilligan, CTP and Delores Ratliff, CTP. Gilligan is Manager, Corporate Treasury at Great Plains Energy, Inc. and President, KLT Investments Inc., a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy, both located Kansas City, MO. Along with his Board service, Gilligan has served as chairman of the 2006 Annual Conference Planning Task Force. Ratliff is Manager, Bank Initiatives and Negotiations, for the Target Corporation in Minneapolis, MN. Ratliff has been a member of the AFP Board since 2002 and has served in numerous volunteer roles.

Sally Smedal, CTP, treasurer and controller at Basic American Foods, will serve on the AFP Board as immediate past chairman. She has been a member of the AFP Board since 2001.

In addition to the new officers, the following directors were elected to serve two-year terms:

Ira Birns, CPA, CTP
Vice President & Treasurer, Arrow Electronics, Inc., Melville, NY

Brian Breen, CTP*
Vice President and Treasurer, Simmons Bedding Co., Atlanta, GA

Jeff Cappelletti, CTP*
Corporate Treasurer, Wackenhut Corp., Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Michael Connolly*
Vice President-Treasurer, Tiffany & Co., Parsippany, NJ

Susan Glass, CTP*
Credit Manager/Finance Division, Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO

John Hodgkinson, CTP
Manager, Treasury Operations, Publix Super Markets Inc., Lakeland, FL

Donald L. Hollingsworth, CTP
Assistant Treasurer and Manager, Banking and Investor Services, Ameren Corp., St. Louis, MO

Bradley Larson, CTP
Vice President/Treasurer, Pamida, Inc., Omaha, NE

Maureen O’Boyle, CCM*
Assistant Treasurer, Shaklee Corporation, Pleasanton, CA

William Quinn (representing CIEBA)*
Chairman and CEO, American Beacon Advisors, Fort Worth, TX

Dennis Reedy, CTP
Managing Director, Treasury Operations, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Laurie Sherwood*
Vice President, Corporate Development & Treasurer, Atmos Energy, Dallas TX

* Asterisk indicates new members of the AFP Board.

The Association for Financial Professionals, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, supports more than 15,000 individual members from a wide range of industries throughout all stages of their careers in various aspects of treasury and financial management. AFP is the daily resource for financial professionals for continuing education, career development, certifications, research, representation to legislators and regulators, and the development of industry standards. Sponsored by the Association for Financial Professionals, the CTP designation is the globally recognized industry standard for treasury and a requirement for a changing profession. More than 16,000 professionals have earned AFP’s certification since 1986.