Sarah Catz Joins MWW Group's Irvine Office as Senior Counselor

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- MWW Group (http://www.mww.com/), one of the nation's top 10 public relations firms, announced today that Sarah L. Catz has joined the company as Senior Counselor in its Irvine, CA office. Catz has served as California's acting Deputy Secretary of Transportation, as well as project manager for The Commission on Building for the 21st Century, California's infrastructure commission.

While with the Governor's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, which oversees the activities of 12 state departments, including CalTrans, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Highway Patrol, Catz helped secure state funding for critical infrastructure projects throughout California.

"Sarah is a powerhouse in transportation and public policy. Her knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our clients in California and across the country," said Michael W. Kempner, president and CEO of MWW Group.

Catz spent 10 years on the board of directors of the Orange County Transportation Authority, serving as chairman of the board in 1998. Additionally, Catz was a founding board member of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) where, as chairman (1995-1996), she led the initiative for the first commuter rail system in Southern California. Working to provide a seamless rail network in southern California, Catz also has served on the Los Angeles to San Diego (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency and the Intercity Rail Joint Powers Authority.

"MWW is nationally known for their leading public affairs practice and I look forward to being a member of its dynamic team," said Catz.

In addition to her new position at MWW Group, Catz continues her commitment to California's transportation issues as a member of the board of directors of the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission that is developing a high-speed rail service between Orange County and Las Vegas, and to the Institute of Transportation Studies at University of California, Irvine as the Director of the Center for Urban Infrastructure.

The League of Women Voters of Orange County honored her in 2000 with the "OC Woman of Achievement" award, and in 1995, OC Metro Magazine named her one of "10 Women Making a Difference in Orange County." Catz received her law degree from the University of Santa Clara and her bachelor's degree in psychology from George Washington University.

About MWW Group

In 2006, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News in recognition of the firm's growth, strategic account leadership and industry-leading employee retention. Additionally, for the past four years, MWW Group has been honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report agency client satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution.

MWW Group is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations. The agency is nationally recognized for its work in consumer marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, public affairs and government relations, technology and healthcare. Headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., MWW Group has 11 full-service offices representing national and multinational companies, including Sun Microsystems; Samsung; McDonald's; Nikon; Bally Total Fitness; Sara Lee; Volkswagen of America, Inc. FreshDirect; Scottish Enterprise; Verizon; Oxford Health Plans; Los Angeles Community College District; The Palm Restaurants and many Fortune 1000 clients in the consumer, professional services and industrial sectors. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies . For more information on MWW Group, visit http://www.mww.com/.

Contact: Samantha Freeman MWW Group 212-827-3761 sfreeman@mww.com