FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 13, 2006

Tall Stacks Announces New Board Members

New Board Offers Diverse Experiences and Backgrounds

Cincinnati, OH — The Board of Trustees of the Greater Cincinnati Tall Stacks Festival recently elected four new board members, returned four current members and elected a new president and chairman at its annual meeting in February.

Fred Craig, former vice chair of the Greater Cincinnati Tall Stacks Board of Trustees, was elected president and chairman. Craig has served on the Tall Stacks board for six years and previously served as vice-chairman and executive committee member. His new term will last for one year.

“I am honored to take the helm of the Tall Stacks board and I am looking forward to leading this organization through another successful event this October,” Craig said. “We’ve brought together a top-notch group of professionals – both staff and board members – with varying backgrounds and experiences that together have the capacity to make Tall Stacks a tremendous success again this year.”

Craig has a degree in civil engineering from Duke University. He is vice president of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas, Inc., one of the premier engineering companies in the country, where he has served on the Board of Directors since 2004. Currently, Craig is the project manager on the Brent Spence Bridge Replacement Project and was principal-in-charge on the Fort Washington Way project and the Great American Ballpark. He and his wife live in Cincinnati with their two children.

Craig replaces former Chairman and President Peter D. Gomsak Jr., who was elected chairman emeritus of the Greater Cincinnati Tall Stacks Board of Trustees through February 2007.

“Pete deserves a tremendous thanks from the community for making Tall Stacks the enormous success that it is today. His vision and leadership have been instrumental and he will continue to be an asset in his advisory position on the Board through the 2006 Tall Stacks Festival,” Craig said. “Pete really sets the standard for board leadership for Tall Stacks and his other board memberships. Beyond Tall Stacks, the impact of his community service over the last two decades cannot be calculated.”

 NEW BOARD MEMBERS:

• Melody Sawyer-Richardson, an ardent advocate for the arts in Cincinnati, is a real estate investor working on the revitalization of Over the Rhine. Richardson serves on a variety of boards including the Cincinnati Ballet, the Cincinnati Opera, the National Advisory Council of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the advisory board of the International Sculpture Center and SORTA. She has been given the Enquirer Woman of the Year Award, The Sowell Award for Arts Advocacy and the 2004 Post Corbett Award for Leadership in the Arts. Richardson has a law degree and MBA from Rutgers University, a master’s in social work from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree from University of Cincinnati. Richardson currently resides in Cincinnati.
• Richard J. Dyer, president and general manager of WLWT-TV, joins the board with valuable years of media and marketing experience. Dyer holds a BA in economics from Boston College and an MA in marketing from the University of Maryland. He and his wife live in Cincinnati with their two children.
• Richard Murgatroyd rejoins the board of trustees after serving on the Tall Stacks board in its early days. Murgatroyd, a former Kenton County judge executive is now a consultant with the Murgatroyd Group, a government and public relations consulting firm. He formerly worked in Kentucky state government as deputy secretary of the Transportation Cabinet and as deputy chief of staff to Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Prior to his career in public service, Murgatroyd enjoyed successful careers in the media and travel industries. Murgatroyd holds a BA and MA in communications from Ohio State University. He currently resides in Crestview Hills, Ky.
• C. Chris Muth, an attorney with Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald, brings more than 25 years of legal experience to the Tall Stacks board. Muth graduated from University of Cincinnati in 1977 and the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1980. Muth lives in Cincinnati with his wife and two sons.

Members that were re-elected to the Board were Nick Vehr, Tim Reynolds and Chris DeSimio. Other current members are Vice-President William Backus; Secretary Kimberly Ramundo; Treasurer Joseph Schivone; Barbara Bardes; Richard Greiwe; Jim Garges; Betty Hull; Nelson Jones; Jeff Schloemer; and James Carroll.

The Tall Stacks, Music Arts & Heritage Festival returns to the Port of Cincinnati October 4-8, 2006. With 17 riverboats hailing from 11 cities and nightly headline musical entertainment onshore, the sixth installment of the popular festival expects more than a million visitors to the banks of the Ohio River. Official Tall Stacks sponsors include Cinergy Foundation, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Kroger Company, Fifth Third Bank, Bud Light, Cincinnati Bell, Edyth and Carl Lindner and WLWT-TV. For information on the Tall Stacks Music, Arts & Heritage Festival, visit www.tallstacks.com.