Cox Enterprises Elects Michael J. Ahearn and Dr. Helene D. Gayle to Board of Directors

ATLANTA, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At its meeting today in Atlanta, Cox Enterprises elected Michael J. Ahearn and Dr. Helene D. Gayle to its board of directors. Ahearn will chair the board's Sustainability Committee and serve on its Development Committee. Gayle will chair the board's Diversity Strategy Committee.

"Michael and Helene bring different and unique insight to our board, including entrepreneurship, sustainability and humanitarianism," said Jim Kennedy, Cox Enterprises' chairman. "As Cox continues to grow as a business and support important philanthropic initiatives, their expertise will add valuable new perspectives while further diversifying our board. I'm excited to have such dynamic leaders join us."

Ahearn serves as managing partner of True North Venture Partners, L.P., a venture capital company that invests in companies specializing in energy, water, agriculture and waste solutions. He previously co-founded and served as chief executive officer of First Solar, Inc.  He now serves as chairman of the board for First Solar, as well as on the board of trustees for Thunderbird School of Global Management, a top international business school, and The German Marshall Fund, a non-partisan public policy and grant-making institution.

He also serves on the board of directors for Endeavor, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the economies of emerging markets, and on the advisory board for BDT Capital Partners, a private equity and advisory firm.

Ahearn earned a bachelor's degree in science and a juris doctor degree from Arizona State University.

Dr. Gayle is president and chief executive officer of CARE USA, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and social injustice, especially through empowering women.  She previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Gayle chairs the Obama Administration's Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and serves on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.  She serves on several boards, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, ONE, the Rockefeller Foundation, the American Museum of Natural History, Colgate-Palmolive Company and the Institute of Medicine. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bretton Woods Committee and the American Public Health Association.

She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at Barnard College, a medical doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University.

About Cox Enterprises

Cox Enterprises is a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues of nearly $15 billion and more than 60,000 employees, the company's major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed Internet access, commercial telecommunications and advertising solutions); Manheim, Inc. (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and web-based technology products); Cox Media Group, Inc. (television and radio stations, digital media, newspapers, advertising sales rep firms, Valpak and Cox Digital Solutions); and AutoTrader.com (online automotive advertising and Kelley Blue Book, vAuto and HomeNet Automotive subsidiaries).  Additionally, Cox operates Kudzu.com.

SOURCE Cox Enterprises