New York, NY — The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ^®) today announced the launch of a corporate governance educational initiative, the "Board Governance Series." Produced in conjunction with Corporate Board Member magazine, the webcast series features interviews and dialogue between Corporate Board Member and recognized governance experts and board advisory firms who serve as Board Governance Series partners. The webcast series is accessible at multiple website locations, including www.nasdaq.com and www.boardmember.com.

The series features a comprehensive list of topics-ranging from board and committee best practices to director's and officer's liability protection -designed to educate board members and corporate executives about their corporate governance responsibilities. Contributors of best practices advice include governance expert Ira M. Millstein, senior partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP; Thomas Neff, U.S. chairman, Spencer Stuart; Richard Steinberg, U.S. leader for corporate governance, PricewaterhouseCoopers; and John Keogh, president & COO, National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA, a member company of American International Group, Inc.

"The Board Governance Series is a great step toward helping board members understand their governance responsibilities today," said Edward S. Knight, executive vice president and chief legal officer, NASDAQ. "We recognize the challenges, both in the form of the volume of information and increasing requirement of a director's time. Our motivation in partnering in this series was to provide every director the opportunity to get expert advice on key information in an efficient manner. This will prove to be a valuable resource to both new and existing directors."

"In my travels around the country talking with directors and boards, there are very few directors who find comfort in their ability to keep up with all the information and best practices around their duties, especially as it relates to these key committees," said TK Kerstetter, president of Board Member Inc., which publishes Corporate Board Member. "If we can summarize all these key issues in easy-to-absorb webcasts and printed supplements, then our education efforts to boards will have real value."

Access to the webcasts is also available at each series partner's website. There is no fee for access and webcasts can be viewed at any time. The webcasts will be hosted by CCBN, the leading provider of Internet-based shareholder communications services, and also made available to the 3,000 companies using CCBN for investor relations services.

Eighteen webcasts are scheduled over the next 12 months, with ongoing board research and director feedback guiding future program development. In addition, videotapes are available for purchase and Corporate Board Member will biannually distribute printed versions of the Board Governance Series to every company listed on NASDAQ, the NYSE, and AMEX.

Corporate Board Member (www.boardmember.com) is a magazine that covers corporate governance and boardroom issues. The developer of the country's most comprehensive database on corporate directors, Corporate Board Member extends its thought leadership through conferences, research, supplements, and an extensive online resource center. Its readers include all directors and senior officers serving on the boards of companies that trade on NASDAQ, NYSE, and AMEX markets.

NASDAQ (OTCBB:NDAQ) is the world's largest electronic stock market. With approximately 3,800 companies, NASDAQ lists more companies and trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. Over the past five years, NASDAQ has outpaced all other U.S. markets in listing IPOs. It is home to category-defining companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, media and biotechnology industries. NASDAQ is a key driver of capital formation. For more information about NASDAQ, visit the NASDAQ Web site at www.NASDAQ.com or the NASDAQ Newsroom^SM at www.nasdaq.com/newsroom.