3.04.2008 - 02:20pm ET

(CSRwire) EDISON, N.J. – March 4, 2008 – The 2008 Spring CRO Conference's headliner-filled lineup on March 27 is proving a big draw for North America's top Corporate Responsibility practitioners, providers and influencers. No wonder, since Time Magazine Person of the Year and WorldCom whistleblower Cynthia Cooper and Intel Chief Administrative Officer Andy Bryant head up the roster of Keynotes featured March 27 at NYC's prestigious Union League Club. The remainder of the CRO Conference's speaker lineup can be seen at www.TheCRO.com/conferences.

With 22 headline-grabbing speakers on the one-day program, the CRO Conference on March 27 will also feature a reception honoring CRO Magazine's just-released 100 Best Corporate Citizens. In recent days, CRO’s 100 Best list has received massive press coverage from Marketwatch.com, MSNBC.com, Business Week, Fox News, and over 50 daily newspapers. Intel achieved top honors in placing No. 1 on the list, the ninth annual ranking of top corporate citizens among U.S.-headquartered public companies.

Rounding out the top 10 of the 100 Best were Eaton Corp. (No. 2), Nike Inc. (No. 3), Deere & Co. (No. 4), Genentech Inc. (No. 5), Corning Inc. (No. 6), Humana Inc. (No. 7), Bank of America Corp. (No. 8), ITT Corp. (No. 9) and PG&E Corp. (No. 10).

"For 9 straight years, the 100 Best list has stirred controversy and spurred companies to improve their governance, compliance and sustainability performance," says CRO Magazine Publisher and CRO Conference Chair Jay Whitehead. "The 2008 Spring conference will shine a bright light on this year’s 100 Best, the companies that set the pace for everyone else."

Rounding out its coverage of the list and all its attendant issues, the March 27 CRO Conference will also feature a session entitled "Presidential Debate: 100 Best Corporate Citizens and Other Rankings-Do They Matter?" Intel's CRO Dave Stangis, Eaton's VP Environment Safety Health Joe Wolfsberger, and the list's research head Mark Bateman from IW Financial will join several others on a panel devoted to exploring the list's issues.

The 2008 list marks the 100Best Corporate Citizens' ninth year in publication. And the Spring CRO Conference is the 4th in that event’s history.

For more details about CRO's 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2008, the methodology and CRO magazine, visit www.thecro.com.

About The CRO

CRO is the only membership media platform for Corporate Responsibility practitioners, and the professional service providers and non-profit influencers that serve them. The CRO publishes the 20,000-subscriber 'CRO' Magazine and 200,000+ subscriber TheCRO.com, bi-weekly e-newsletters, webinars, and produces the four-time-annual CRO Conferences. With over 100 members including leading companies Sara Lee, Amtrak, IBM, Citigroup, Chubb Insurance, Mattel, Intel, Dell, Pepsi, Home Depot, Starbucks, Avon, Gap, State Street, Xerox, leading providers such as Deloitte, Baker & McKenzie, SAP, Hogan & Hartson, Edelman, Manning Selvage & Lee, Grant Thornton, Golin Harris, Ketchum, Cone, LRN, Integrity Interactive, and non-profits including Stanford University, Boston College, UCLA, and Harvard. Corporate membership information can be found at TheCRO.com, or by calling 732-476-6160.

About IW Financial

IW Financial is a leading provider of objective research and technology solutions that help financial professionals evaluate the environmental, social, and governance performance of companies. IW Financial's solutions help organizations identify risks, enhance productivity, provide higher levels of service, increase revenues, and retain productive advisors. IW Financial's clients include investment firms, banks, endowments, religious organizations, universities, and advisors. Portfolio managers, research analysts, marketing and customer service professionals, compliance professionals, and investment committees at these organizations rely on IW Financial for in-depth and actionable information. More information at IWFinancial.com.

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