Richard P. Nespola to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award from C.W. Post
1967 and 1973 Graduate is Chairman and CEO of The Management Network Group, Inc.

When reporters at The New York Times, the Washington Post or the Financial Times in London need expert commentary on the complex issues of the global telecommunications industry, they turn to C.W. Post alumnus Richard Nespola.

With an M.B.A. from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, N.Y. and extensive senior management experience in the telecommunications industry, Nespola formed what would become the largest provider of telecommunications consulting services in the world. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, his company, The Management Network Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: TMNG), currently advises telecommunications companies worldwide on critical issues including business strategy, integration of technology, product development and risk management. Nespola serves as chairman and CEO of TMNG and earned a B.A. in business and an M.B.A. from the C.W. Post Campus in 1967 and in 1973 respectively

Nespola was awarded the 2000 Ernst & Young Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Kansas/Western Missouri region, and in 1997, was named one of the 50 most influential executives in the competitive long distance industry by Phone+ magazine. Last year, the well-respected trade publication ranked him among the top 25. In 2003, TMNG became known as the premier voice on Wireless Number Portability, and Nespola is the most quoted expert in the media on this issue. Today, TMNG and its subsidiaries employ more than 550 consultants and advise approximately 1,000 clients including all manner of communications service providers and related technology and financial-service firms in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim. Nespola lives in Leawood, KS, with his wife, Faye, and his son, Richard Jr.

In recognition of his illustrious career, Nespola will receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from C.W. Post during commencement ceremonies held on Sunday, May 9, 2004. He will be honored along with two other successful C.W. Post graduates: John J. Hock ('72 marketing, '78 M.B.A.) executive vice president and head of global sales, Tremont Capital Management, Inc. in Rye, New York; and Mika Inatome (’82 marketing), bridal gown designer and president and CEO of Mika Inatome in Manhattan. Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented to C.W. Post graduates who have achieved professional success and who serve as role models to students.

More than 2,500 students will graduate at C.W. Post’s 46th annual commencement exercises. The commencement speaker is New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has been named "Crusader of the Year" by Time magazine.