EarthLink Tops OnBoard's Annual List of Georgia Public Companies with Most Women on Board of Directors

ATLANTA, Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At its annual awards dinner, OnBoard, a Georgia-based organization that advocates for more female representation on public corporate boards, announced that EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading IT and communications provider headquartered in Atlanta, tops its 2013 list of Georgia-based companies with four women on its board of directors. OnBoard's 21^st annual study points to acceleration in women executives serving on the boards of public companies, and indicates that this year's result is an all-time high for the state.

OnBoard President Dr. Constance R. Dierickx said, "EarthLink has taken action by naming four women to their board. We celebrate their decision and look forward to their leadership influencing others. We see acceleration, and have evidence the momentum is building."

Stacie Hagan, Executive Vice President, Customer Operations and Corporate Processes for EarthLink, added, "EarthLink fully supports OnBoard's continued initiative to improve female representation on the Boards of Georgia's public companies, and is also committed to expanding the ranks of women executive leaders at every level of our company."

According to EarthLink Independent Lead Director Susan D. Bowick, "The EarthLink Board has been very proactive in continually evaluating its collective skills and experience against what our new business strategy demands. As a result, we created new Board openings, found exactly the right skill set in the female candidates, and are proud to have such a talented group of individuals working together. Research shows that when publicly traded companies have three or more female Board members, they experience greater financial success. My challenge to other Boards that seek more diversity is to at least annually take a clear-eyed look at the current collective skill set, work hard to create new Board positions and bring on new abilities as a result. There are many talented, experienced women available in the marketplace today."

The four women currently serving on EarthLink's board of directors include Susan D. Bowick, Marce Fuller, Kathy S. Lane, and Dr. Julie A. Shimer.

About EarthLink
EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK)  is a leading IT services and communications provider to more than 150,000 businesses and one million consumers nationwide. EarthLink empowers customers with managed services including cloud computing, managed and private cloud, and virtualization services such as managed hosting and cloud workspace. EarthLink also offers a robust portfolio of IT security, application hosting, colocation and IT support services. The company operates an extensive network spanning 29,421 route fiber miles with 90 metro fiber rings and 8 secure data centers providing ubiquitous nationwide data and voice IP service coverage across more than 90 percent of the country. Founded in 1994, EarthLink's award-winning reputation for outstanding service and product innovation is supported by an experienced team of professionals focused on best-in-class customer care.  For more information, visit EarthLink's website at www.earthlink.com.

About OnBoard
OnBoard has grown into a prestigious organization as the leading authority on women in the boardroom and executive suites of Georgia public companies. OnBoard advocates for women, inspires them to take leadership and connects them to opportunities.  The organization gives out two awards annually.

SOURCE EarthLink