Ralph de la Vega of AT&T Joins New York Life Board of Directors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York Life Insurance Company announced today that its Board of Directors has elected veteran AT&T executive Ralph de la Vega to the company’s Board. Mr. de la Vega is president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, with responsibility for all consumer marketing, sales, customer care and operations for the company’s wireless and wireline businesses.

“All of us on the Board are looking forward to having the benefit of Ralph’s deep and broad management expertise and enormous consumer and international experience in our deliberations as Directors. He joins a Board filled with accomplished individuals from business, law and government.”

Ted Mathas, chairman, president and CEO of New York Life said, “All of us on the Board are looking forward to having the benefit of Ralph’s deep and broad management expertise and enormous consumer and international experience in our deliberations as Directors. He joins a Board filled with accomplished individuals from business, law and government.”

Mr. de la Vega has held positions of increasing responsibility since joining an AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) predecessor company in 1974. Prior to being named to his current position in 2008, he served as president-Regional Telecommunications and Entertainment and then President and CEO-AT&T Mobility. Additionally, from 2004-2006, he served as COO of Cingular Wireless where he oversaw the Cingular-AT&T Wireless merger, the largest all-cash merger at the time. Before joining Cingular in January 2004, he served as president-BellSouth Latin America, with overall responsibility for BellSouth's operations in 11 countries. During his career, Mr. de la Vega has been instrumental in developing the company’s relationships with Apple, Yahoo!, Starbucks and other strategic partners.

Mr. de la Vega has a MBA degree from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Atlantic University and has completed the executive program at the University of Virginia. He is also the author of the just-released book, Obstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity into Advantage in Business and Life (Thomas Nelson, 2009).

Mr. de la Vega resides in Atlanta, Ga.

New York Life Insurance Company, a Fortune 100 company founded in 1845, is the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and one of the largest life insurers in the world. New York Life has the highest possible financial strength ratings from all four of the major credit rating agencies. Headquartered in New York City, New York Life’s family of companies offers life insurance, retirement income, investments and long-term care insurance. New York Life Investments* provides institutional asset management and retirement plan services. Other New York Life affiliates provide an array of securities products and services, as well as institutional and retail mutual funds. Visit New York Life’s Web site at www.newyorklife.com for more information.

*New York Life Investments is a service mark used by New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC and its subsidiary, New York Life Investment Management LLC.