ON SEPTEMBER 8th, OUR FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW SEASON, Y'S MEN WILL HEAR STEVEN PARRISH, SR. VP CORPORATE AFFAIRS, ALTRIA GROUP, INC.

Steven C. Parrish, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Altria Group, Inc will speak at the on Thursday, September 8th. His talk is titled "Altria Group Inc.: From Lightning Rod To Peacemaker."  

The Altria family of companies includes leading marketers and manufacturers of consumer packaged goods. Altria Group, Inc. is the parent company of: Kraft Foods, the second largest food company in the world; Philip Morris International Inc., the world's leading international cigarette business; and Philip Morris USA Inc., the leading cigarette manufacturer in the United States .

Mr. Parrish is responsible for the Altria family of companies' corporate affairs strategies and is its principal spokesperson.  He was appointed to his current position in May 1995. In leading these strategies, he has been actively involved in the family of companies' efforts to build bridges to a range of constituencies, including health organizations, antismoking groups, civic organizations, the media and government.

Mr. Parrish has addressed a broad range of organizations, including the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, The Conference Board, and the World Presidents Organization. Over the years, he has also appeared on numerous national news programs, such as Face the Nation, Meet The Press, Nightline, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and Moneyline.

A native of the central Missouri town of Moberly, Mr. Parrish previously served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Regulatory Affairs, Philip Morris Companies Inc. (appointed in December 1994); and as Senior Vice President, External Affairs, and General Counsel for Philip Morris USA (appointed September 1992). He served in numerous positions since joining the organization in June 1990, covering a broad range of legal, regulatory and public affairs issues.

Mr. Parrish received a B.A. degree in Political Science in 1972 and his J.D. in 1975, both from the University of Missouri. He is a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safe Horizon—a nationally recognized leader in the field of victim assistance that offers more than 75 programs throughout New York City's five boroughs and serves over 200,000 people each year. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra and the United Negro College Fund.