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Date: July 31, 2006
Contact: Phil Cogan, (202) 565-3200

NEW CHAIRMAN, VICE-CHAIR, BOARD MEMBER SWORN-IN AT EX-IM BANK
Lambright, Conlin and Grandmaison Bring Board Membership to Four

WASHINGTON, DC --- James H. Lambright was sworn-in this morning as the 22nd chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank).

Ex-Im Bank President and Chairman James H. Lambright (left) takes the oath of office at a ceremony at Ex-Im Bank's Washington, D.C. headquarters. Administering the oath is Senior Vice President for Resource Management Michael Cushing.

President George W. Bush elevated Lambright to chairman and president (acting) in July 2005 from his position as the Bank's executive vice president and chief operating officer. On February 13, 2006, President Bush announced that he had nominated Lambright to be President of Ex-Im Bank.

Board member Linda Conlin was also sworn-in this morning as first vice president, and in that capacity will serve as vice chairman. J. Joseph Grandmaison, a former board member, was sworn-in as a member of the board.

All three terms end on January 20, 2009.

"The Ex-Im Bank serves an important mission in supporting U.S. exporters," said Lambright, "and I'm excited about the opportunity to work with the first-rate team we have in place."

Lambright came to Ex-Im Bank in 2001 from Credit Suisse First Boston Corp. in Los Angeles, Calif., where he was vice president, private equity. There, he specialized in the underwriting and negotiation of real estate and venture capital transactions.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Lambright graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and received a bachelor of arts in linguistics from Stanford University. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Conlin first joined Ex-Im Bank's board on April 26, 2004. She has a long and distinguished career as an international marketing and management executive, including an extensive public service background promoting commerce on both the state and federal levels.

Prior to joining Ex-Im Bank, Conlin served as Assistant Secretary for Trade Development from August 2001 to April 2004 at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

From 1994 to 1999, Conlin served New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman as the principal advisor for marketing and policy for travel and tourism. Earlier she was the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Tourism Marketing in the U.S. Tourism Administration, and before that held positions at the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State.

Sworn-in for terms ending on January 20, 2009 were (from left) J. Joseph Grandmaison, member; Linda M. Conlin, first vice president and vice chair; and James H. Lambright, president and chairman.

A native of Massachusetts, Conlin began her career as a small business owner.

Grandmaison served from 1993 to 2001 in the Clinton Administration as director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), and was a board member at Ex-Im Bank from December 2001 to July 2005.

Grandmaison's previous federal service also includes a presidential appointment from 1977 to 1981 as federal co-chairman of the New England Region Commission, a capacity in which he served with six New England governors.

Active in public affairs in his home state of New Hampshire, Grandmaison was the Democratic Party nominee for governor in 1990.

The three join former U.S. Senator Max Cleland on Ex-Im Bank's board of directors. Last week President Bush nominated Bijan R. Rafekian as the fifth member of the board, subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

Ex-Im Bank (www.exim.gov) this year marks its 72nd year of helping finance the sale of U.S. exports, primarily to emerging markets throughout the world, by providing loan guarantees, export credit insurance, and direct loans. In fiscal year 2005 Ex-Im Bank authorized nearly $14 billion in transactions supporting almost $17.9 billion in U.S. exports. More than $2.6 billion of the authorizations, or 2,617 transactions, directly supported U.S. small businesses as primary exporters.