Blue Ridge Networks Names Former AOL Executive Gregory A. Washenko Vice President of Finance.

CHANTILLY, Va. -- Technology finance veteran brings broad Beltway experience to secure communications leader

Blue Ridge Networks(TM), the premier provider of secure communications products and managed VPN services, today announced the appointment of Gregory A. Washenko as Vice-President of Finance. In this role, Washenko will lead the company's financial and administrative functions, and will report to Blue Ridge Networks President and CEO Tony Russo.

Washenko joins Blue Ridge Networks after serving as a director of finance at American Online, Inc. (AOL). He managed financial analysis, planning, forecasting, and accounting operations for the company's core services division. He was also directly involved in several major business initiatives during his time there, including a project to add security capabilities to the AOL platform, as well as the building of the new portal that is the centerpiece of a new business direction for the company. Prior to his tenure at AOL, Washenko held management positions with UUNET and was Vice President and Controller for Eyecast, a startup video technology integrator.

"Greg brings just the right combination of experience to Blue Ridge Networks. He's a veteran of the Beltway technology community and knows both small businesses' needs and the demands of large public enterprises. In addition to financial planning, Greg knows the importance of the development and execution of operational systems that are necessary to grow in the markets we're in," said Russo. "He is a welcome addition to the Blue Ridge Networks team and we look forward to his contribution in helping reach our goals in the coming years."

Washenko earned a BA in Accounting and Finance from James Madison University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He spent the early portion of his career at the public accounting firm, Halt, Jackson, and Thrasher, L.L.P.

About Blue Ridge Networks

Blue Ridge Networks develops secure communications solutions for wireless and wired environments. The company was responsible for the industry's first commercial virtual private network and has completed widespread deployments across commercial and government sectors. The Blue Ridge Networks BorderGuard product suite has been deployed globally and in demanding applications such as wireless LAN, extranets, site-to-site and remote access VPN, and thin client computing. The company has achieved several Government Agency Certifications, including: FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria, HIPAA compliance, and the Department of Defense SPOCK validation. Information about the company's wireless security products can be found at www.blueridgenetworks.com.