Banker Alexander L. Cappello Joins USC Board of Trustees

Contact: USC Media Relations, 213-740-2215

The international businessman and USC alumnus has extensive experience in
corporate management and finance.

Alexander L. Cappello, chairman and CEO of the Cappello Group Inc., a
global boutique merchant bank, has been elected to the University of
Southern California board of trustees.

Cappello, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the USC Marshall School of
Business in 1977 with honors, is also president-elect of the USC Alumni
Association and will assume the presidency in 2006.

“We are honored to welcome Alexander Cappello to our board of trustees,”
said USC President Steven B. Sample. “As both an international businessman
and a devoted USC alumnus, he has long proven his leadership abilities.
Alex will be a welcome addition to the board.”

Conducted through Cappello Capital Corp, the Cappello Group has established
itself as a leading provider of equity capital through private placements
to both publicly traded and private companies.

Cappello has more than 30 years’ experience in corporate management,
corporate finance, investment banking and merchant banking, both in the
U.S. and overseas. For more than 30 years, the principals of Cappello
Capital Corp. and its affiliates have been providing innovative investment
banking services to public and private companies for a broad range of
transactions exceeding $50 billion in aggregate value.

A California native, Cappello has long been active in USC affairs, serving
on the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors, the USC Entrepreneur
Advisory Council, the USC Advancement Council, and the USC Marshall School
of Business Advisory Board. He is also an Endowed USC Associate and a
member of Cardinal and Gold.

Cappello is a current or past member of the board of directors of many
organizations, including the Young Presidents’ Organization (chairman),
Inter-Tel (chairman), RAND Corp., CytRx Corp., the Maritime Bank of
California, the Catholic Big Brothers of Los Angeles, the Independent
Colleges of Southern California, the Getty Research Institute and the
Joffrey Foundation.

An experienced speaker and author, Cappello has been a guest lecturer at
the USC, UCLA and Harvard business schools, as well as at numerous
international universities. He is a contributing writer to the recently
published “The New Investor Relations,” a compendium of experts’ writings.

In his leisure time, Cappello is an avid collector of art and antiques
dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries. He also enjoys wine collecting,
competitive target shooting, bird hunting, fresh-water fishing, golf and
tennis.

Cappello lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Linda. The couple has two
children, Sofia and Francesca.