For immediate releaseContact: (202) 423-3654

WHEN:Tuesday, October, 30th, 11 am

WHERE:Phoenix Park Hotel, 520 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington DC

WHO:Blackwater USA’s new Department of Corporate Integrity

WHAT:As part of the 2007 Annual Summit of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), Blackwater will be unveiling its new Department of Corporate Integrity. Given the public’s concern over recent allegations about the lack of oversight and accountability for private security contractors in Iraq, Blackwater has felt a need to defend its corporate name and clear up its public image. “Just as in warfare, a good offense is the best defense,” says Eric Prince, chairman and CEO of the Prince Group and Blackwater, USA. “So we are going on the offense to defend the image of our great company.”

“Blackwater has become synonymous with mercenary, but the public doesn’t understand that mercenary has actually been a positive term throughout history,” said Max Boot of the Council of Foreign Affairs at the IPOA opening plenary. “Mercenaries have provided services to kings, popes, and national governments that armies could not provide. So instead of running from the label mercenary, Blackwater should embrace it and reclaim the term.”

Directing the new Department of Public Integrity is Kitty Laver, who has 20 years’ experience in public relations and corporate responsibility. “My job is to put the mercy back in mercenary,” says Laver, who will be unveiling the department’s new code of conduct and presenting new measures the corporation is taking to hold its employees and contractors accountable for unethical behavior. “I’m certain the American public and the Iraqis will embrace the new, improved Blackwater,” says Laver.

Bio for Kitty Laver
Born: 7/26/1952
Birthplace: Freeport, New York

Adept at combining her business acumen with New York street smarts, Laver
has paved the way for women to succeed in the extremely competitive
corporate milieu. Exceptionally hard working, she carved out successes for
her company and herself at a string of jobs. She was a market researcher
for Monsanto from 1980-85, then became an account executive at Enron.
Disappointed when she was denied further promotion, she left for Boeing,
where she worked 100-hour weeks for two years to turn around the firm's low
employee morale and shaky financial status. She helped double profit
margins and lured in major new business accounts. She resigned in 1996 and
was heavily courted by several firms but decided to start her own company
to help clean up the image of corporations suffering from attacks on their
brand names. She worked for Nike when they were accused of using sweatshop
labor and Chevron when they were sued over labor issues in Burma. Starting
in 2003, she began working for US private security companies. In October
2007, she was named head of Blackwater's Department of Corporate Integrity.

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