Distinguished members Dirk Kempthorne, Marc Morial, and Robert McTeer bring mix of government, policy and global business experience and insights to help companies with new challenges MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Protiviti Inc., a global business consulting and internal audit firm, has formed an advisory board to assist its clients, mainly FORTUNE 1000 companies, with navigating the changing economic and regulatory business environment. Coming on the heels of the global financial crisis, companies will face an increasing need to improve risk management practices and processes. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090115/AQTH541LOGO) "The global economic crisis has changed the business landscape, and companies in the public and private sectors are going to require increased transparency, risk management and corporate governance," said Joseph A. Tarantino, president and CEO of Protiviti. "This esteemed advisory board will work with us to identify and design solutions and services to help our clients including their boards of directors and audit committees successfully chart their courses in the new business environment." The members of the new Protiviti Advisory Board are: -- Dirk Kempthorne - From 2006 to 2009, Kempthorne served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior, where he was responsible for 73,000 employees and an annual budget of $18 billion. Before serving in the President's Cabinet, Kempthorne was governor of the State of Idaho for two terms (1999-2006). While in office, he was elected and served as chairman of the National Governors Association; president of the Council of State Governors; and chairman of the Western Governors' Association. Kempthorne was also elected to the U.S. Senate, serving one term from 1993 to 1999. He served as mayor of Boise, Idaho, for two terms (1986-1993). -- Marc Morial - As president and CEO of the National Urban League since 2003, Morial is at the forefront of major public policy issues, research and community-based solutions. Prior to joining the League, Morial served two terms (1994-2002) as mayor of New Orleans. He was also president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors during his time in office. Before becoming mayor, Morial served as a Louisiana state senator for two years. -- Robert McTeer - After a 36-year career with the Federal Reserve System, including 14 years as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and member of the Federal Open Market Committee, McTeer is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) covering macro-economic issues, including monetary, fiscal, tax and education policy. The NCPA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan market-oriented public policy institute. Prior to joining the NCPA in 2007, McTeer was chancellor of the Texas A&M University system for two years. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Aquinas Companies, the Westwood Holdings Group and Refocus Group. Access to the accumulated experience and wisdom of the board members will contribute to Protiviti achieving its vision to assist clients to improve corporate governance and implement risk management practices and enabling technologies. In support of this vision, the Protiviti Advisory Board will participate in a variety of activities, including contributing to the firm's extensive thought leadership program. Protiviti also intends, with the help of the advisory board members, to expand its engagement with leading policy makers. "Protiviti is an industry thought-leader on issues related to corporate governance and risk management, and we believe our significant experience working with thousands of companies to provide guidance on these matters enables us to provide value in the development of the forthcoming regulatory reforms for improved corporate governance," said Tarantino. Additionally, Protiviti plans to conduct an executive conference on the subject of risk management in 2010, and, later in 2009, will host a series of live webcasts for its clients. During these events, participants will have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of the new advisory board members. "Bringing the wealth of knowledge and experience of individuals of this caliber to our clients continues the Protiviti commitment to client service," said Tarantino. About Protiviti Protiviti (http://www.protiviti.com/) is a global business consulting and internal audit firm composed of experts specializing in risk, advisory and transaction services. The firm helps solve problems in finance and transactions, operations, technology, litigation, governance, risk, and compliance. Protiviti's highly trained, results-oriented professionals provide a unique perspective on a wide range of critical business issues for clients in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Protiviti has more than 60 locations worldwide and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half International is a member of the S&P 500 index. Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services. Editor's Note: Photos available upon request. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090115/AQTH541LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Protiviti CONTACT: Kathy Keller of Protiviti, +1-650-234-6252, Web Site: http://www.protiviti.com/

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