The Obesity Society Selects Executive Vice President

SILVER SPRING, Md., July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Obesity Society, the
leading professional and scientific organization dedicated to the study of
obesity, is pleased to announce the selection of Francesca M. Dea, CAE, to
serve as the Society's Executive Vice President. Ms. Dea comes to The Obesity
Society with an accomplished record in nonprofit and small business
management, strategic planning, and media relations.

According to Robert Kushner, MD, President of The Obesity Society, "We're
excited to bring on board someone of Francesca's caliber. She brings with her
a wealth of association management and fundraising experience that will be of
enormous value to the mission of The Obesity Society."

Ms. Dea has worked since 2007 as principal and independent consultant at
Gordian Solutions, LLC, supporting nonprofits and small businesses. Prior to
this, she served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), an
established membership association with 70,000 members and 750 state and local
associations, and at the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education
(LIFE). In these roles, Ms. Dea was responsible for coordinating a highly
complex organization with 10 internal departments, two non-profit subsidiaries
and one for-profit subsidiary while dealing with an extensive volunteer
leadership, an annual budget of $14 million and 75 staff. Before this, she
also worked in media relations positions at the Cellular Telecommunications
Internet Association (CTIA), Mobile Comm, a subsidiary of Bell South
Corporation, and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

Ms. Dea, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Dickinson
College and an MBA in general management and marketing from Johns Hopkins
University, is also a Certified Association Executive (CAE).

Francesca Dea commented on her appointment, "I couldn't be more delighted to
take the helm of The Obesity Society. The members of The Obesity Society are
dedicated to finding solutions to one of the most critical health care issues
today and I hope to create opportunities for them to make even more
significant contributions in the future." Ms. Dea begins her tenure at The
Obesity Society August 3, 2009.

The Obesity Society (www.obesity.org) is the leading scientific organization
dedicated to the study of obesity. Since 1982, The Obesity Society has been
committed to encouraging research on the causes and treatment of obesity, and
to keeping the medical community and public informed of new advances. The
Obesity Society's vision is to be the leader in understanding, preventing and
treating obesity and in improving the lives of those affected. The Obesity
Society's membership comprises more than 2,000 basic and clinical researchers,
who have published extensively, and care providers in obesity treatment and
prevention.

SOURCE The Obesity Society

Jane Pratt of The Obesity Society, +1-301-563-6426, jpratt@obesity.org