Cousins Properties Names Tom Bell President and Chief Executive Officer.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2002

Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) today announced that the Board of Directors has elected Thomas D. Bell, Jr. President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective immediately. Mr. Bell had previously served as the Company's Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee. As disclosed in a January 7, 2002 press release, R. Dary Stone is stepping down as President and Chief Operating Officer to assume responsibility of Cousins' Texas operations, which is effective today. Cousins' current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas G. Cousins, will remain Chairman of the Board.

"I strongly believe that part of any Chief Executive Officer's responsibility and success is to find the right successor," Cousins said. "After more than 40 years as CEO of Cousins, it is time to transition to fresh, energized leadership and I am confident that Tom Bell is the right person for the job. I've known Tom for several years and am impressed by his business judgment, strategic thinking and the contributions he has already made to the Company through our Board and Executive Committee. He is a proven leader at the Fortune 500 level with very broad business experience that is well suited to Cousins Properties. Furthermore, he will be supported by one of the most respected and experienced management teams in the real estate industry. Tom's enormous leadership capability and high-level corporate relationships make for a potent combination that will continue the legacy of Cousins and the remarkable success we have achieved during the past four decades."

Mr. Bell added, "I am very excited to join the Cousins team on a full time basis. It is an extremely talented organization that has been a leader in the real estate community for over 40 years. Tom Cousins has built a great company based upon proven core principles and strategies. I look forward to continuing its successful track record for many years to come."

Mr. Bell brings a wealth of experience in corporate management, governance and leadership in both the public and private sector to Cousins in his new role. He most recently served as a senior advisor to Credit Suisse First Boston overseeing the company's real estate activities. He spent the previous ten years at Young & Rubicam Inc. (NYSE:YNR), retiring as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer when it merged with WPP. He is a member of the boards of Lincoln Financial Group, McLeod USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education, the Central Park Conservancy, The Economic Club of New York and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Mr. Bell has held other senior positions in business and government. He previously served as vice chairman of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, executive vice president of Ball Corporation, president and chief executive officer of the Hudson Institute, and chairman of the board for the Center for Naval Analysis.

Cousins Properties Incorporated, headquartered in Atlanta, has extensive experience in the real estate industry including the development, acquisition, financing, management and leasing of properties. The property types that Cousins actively invests in include office, retail, medical office and land development projects. The Company's portfolio consists of interests in 13.3 million square feet of office space, 3.1 million square feet of retail space and .9 million square feet of medical office space, and more than 300 acres of strategically located land for future commercial development. Cousins is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust (REIT) that has been public since 1962 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CUZ." For more information on the Company, please visit Cousins' web site at www.cousinsproperties.com.

Certain matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws and are subject to uncertainties and risks, including, but not limited to, general economic conditions, local real estate conditions, interest rates, the Company's ability to obtain favorable financing, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Form 8-K filed on March 9, 2001. The words "believes," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and speak as of the date of such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise.