6.24.2008 - 12:23pm ET

(CSRwire) SPRINGFIELD, Mass., - June 24, 2008 - Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) announced today that it has appointed Lorie Valle-Yanez as vice president of diversity and inclusion. In her newly created position, Ms. Valle-Yanez will be responsible for MassMutual's diversity strategy development and implementation as well as cross-departmental coordination of all diversity efforts, while working closely with the company's leadership. This appointment is designed to reflect and enhance MassMutual's ongoing commitment to diversity. She will report to Debra Palermino, senior vice president of MassMutual's Corporate Human Resources.

"Lorie brings with her more than 15 years of experience in the diversity arena and has an exceptional track record," says Ms. Palermino. "Diversity is at the very core of MassMutual's values. Moreover, it is the strategic catalyst that will allow MassMutual to grow the business, and thrive in today's increasingly complex, globally-integrated marketplace. We are pleased and excited to have someone of Lorie’s caliber and experience on board."

Prior to joining MassMutual, Ms. Valle-Yanez spent six years at ESPN in Bristol, Conn., where she successfully drove diversity and inclusion throughout the organization. In addition, she spent more than twenty years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA, where she held various positions with increasing responsibility, and ultimately took on the lead diversity role as Group Leader of the Diversity Programs Office.

Ms. Valle-Yanez has a B.S. in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco. She is a member of the Diversity Collegium, a 25-member diversity "think tank" dedicated to advancing the field of diversity and inclusion.



MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual and its subsidiaries had more than $500 billion in assets under management at year-end 2007. Assets under management include assets and certain external investment funds managed by MassMutual's subsidiaries.

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a mutually owned financial protection, accumulation and income management company headquartered in Springfield, Mass. MassMutual's major affiliates include: OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; MML Investors Services, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC (www.finra.org and www.sipc.org); MassMutual International LLC and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. MassMutual is on the Internet at www.massmutual.com.

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