TWO NEW YORK BUSINESSMEN ELECTED
TO MDA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 13, 2004 – Two prominent New Yorkers have been elected national vice presidents of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Daniel G. Fries and Steve Farella were elected to one-year terms as voluntary leaders of the national health organization during MDA’s recent Board of Directors meeting in New York. MDA vice presidents provide counsel in their areas of expertise and assist the Association through advocacy and staunch support of its lifesaving programs and activities.

Fries is chief operating officer of The Segal Company in New York. He’s a longtime MDA supporter and has been involved in many local Association events.

Farella is president, CEO and founder of TargetCast TCM, an advertising and marketing company in New York. He previously served MDA as a vice president from 1997 to 2000.

“MDA is privileged to benefit from the leadership and dedication to its mission of Steve Farella and Daniel G. Fries," MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. “Their commitment is important to the success of the Association’s effort to find treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases.”

MDA is working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA maintains 235 clinics nationwide, including seven clinics in metropolitan New York, and two MDA/ALS centers for research and treatment of Lou Gehrig’s disease, at Columbia-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center.

# # #