Stride Rite Names Christine Cournoyer as New Director
LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2000--The Stride Rite Corporation (NYSE:SRR), a leading marketer of casual and active footwear for children and adults, today announced the appointment of Christine M. Cournoyer to its Board of Directors.
Ms. Cournoyer is Vice President of e-business Transformation for the IBM Software Group and CIO and Sr. Vice President of Global e-business Transformation of Lotus Development Corp. She is responsible for creating a world-class experience on the Web for customers and for improving organizational effectiveness through Knowledge Management and global information systems that continue to transform IBM and Lotus into e-businesses. Ms. Cournoyer joined Lotus in April 1994 as Director of Worldwide Applications, was promoted to Lotus CIO and Vice President in 1996, and named an IBM VP in November 1999.
David M. Chamberlain, Stride Rite's Chairman and CEO, commented, "We are excited to welcome Chris to Stride Rite's Board of Directors. She is a respected business leader and brings a unique perspective as to the challenges and opportunities of e-business, an area of ever increasing importance to Stride Rite."
Ms. Cournoyer began her Information Systems career at Wang Laboratories, holding positions of increasing responsibility within the Information Systems organization. She also served as Director of Information Systems at Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), where she managed a global IS organization and oversaw the company's successful transition from legacy systems to client/server applications.
Ms. Cournoyer holds a BS from UMass Lowell, a Masters degree in economics from Northeastern University, and has attended MIT's Executive Education Program. Ms. Cournoyer participates in Babson Center for Information Management (CIM) and the MBA advisory curriculum, is on the Board of the Boston Society for Information Management (SIM), and is a member of The Boston Chapter of Women in Technology International (WITI).
The Stride Rite Corporation markets the leading brand of high quality children's shoes in the United States. Other footwear products for children and adults are marketed by the Company under well-known brand names, including Keds, Sperry Top-Sider, Tommy Hilfiger, Munchkin, Grasshoppers and Street Hot. Information about the Company and its brands is available on its websites - www.strideritecorporation.com, www.keds.com, and www.sperrytopsider.com. Information about the Company is available on its website: www.strideritecorp.com. Information about the Company's brands and product lines is available on its websites: www.striderite.com, www.keds.com and www.sperrytopsider.com.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. The words "expect", "estimate", and other similar expressions which do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated, projected or implied future results. Factors that may cause such a difference include, among others: revenues from new product lines may fall below expectations; the launch of new product lines may be delayed; and additional factors discussed in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the exhibits thereto. The Company disclaims any responsibility to update these statements.
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CONTACT: The Stride Rite Corporation John M. Kelliher Chief Financial Officer (617) 824-6028


