July 1, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD

Contact: NMB Public Information Line -- (202) 692-5050

Re: Fitzmaurice named NMB Chairman

Edward J. Fitzmaurice Jr. is the new chairman of the National Mediation Board effective July 1, 2003. Mr. Fitzmaurice was nominated to the NMB by President Bush on November 9, 2001, and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 2, 2002.

The National Mediation Board is an independent Federal agency established by the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline and railroad labor-management relations. Board members serve three-year terms. No more than two of the three members may be from the same political party and the chair rotates among the members. The other members of the Board are Harry Hoglander and Francis Duggan.

After graduating from Villanova University, Chairman Fitzmaurice served four and a half years as an Officer of Marines. He was designated a Naval Aviator, and served in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam as a Captain and Aircraft Commander, receiving several decorations including the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and 11 strike/flight Air Medals, the Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation.

Upon release from active duty, Chairman Fitzmaurice became a pilot for Braniff International and served as a domestic and international Captain, Co-Pilot, and Flight Engineer.

Simultaneously with piloting for Braniff, he attended the Southern Methodist University School of Law and was licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 1971. He was an associate with the firm of Kern, Wooley and Maloney representing Underwriters at Lloyd's in aviation-related matters and was Of Counsel to the labor law firm of James L. Hicks and Associates, both in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Fitzmaurice and his wife Marcia have two grown children; daughter Carey is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., and son Evan is an associate with the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP in Dallas, Texas.

To add [or delete] your name or others in your organization to the NMB Email List for Press Releases, send name, organization, email address, and business telephone number to PDO@NMB.GOV.