Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) today announced that Beth Ford has been appointed as chair to the company's board of directors effective January 1, 2018.

Ms. Ford, the chief operating officer for Land O’Lakes Businesses, has served on the Clearwater Paper board of directors since 2013. As chief operating officer, Ms. Ford oversees Land O’Lakes’ multi-billion dollar U.S. businesses, which include Purina Animal Nutrition, Land O’Lakes Dairy, and Winfield United, which provides crop inputs and agriculture technology solutions. In her 30 years in business, Ms. Ford has held senior and line leadership positions in seven companies across six industries, including roles at International Flavors and Fragrances, Mobil Corporation, PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Company, and Hachette Book Group and Scholastic, Inc.

“We greatly value the retail, supply chain, and operations insight Beth brings to us, which will help us improve our competitive position and succeed in the marketplace,” said Linda Massman, president and CEO. “On behalf of the Clearwater Paper team, we extend our congratulations to Beth as our new board chair.”

Ms. Ford will succeed Boh Dickey as chair. Mr. Dickey has been a Clearwater Paper board member since 2008 and chair since 2013. He is expected to retire from the company’s board at the end of his current board term in May 2018 pursuant to the company’s corporate governance guidelines.

“Boh has been a driving force in developing and guiding our strategy, positioning Clearwater Paper as one of the largest private label tissue manufacturers and an efficient paperboard manufacturer, serving our customers well over the years,” added Massman. “I thank him for his numerous contributions and critical decisions that have helped make our company more successful.”

With today’s announcement, Clearwater Paper will be one of the few publicly-traded companies in the U.S. with women serving as the CEO and non-executive board chair.

ABOUT CLEARWATER PAPER

Clearwater Paper manufactures quality consumer tissue, away-from-home tissue, parent roll tissue, bleached paperboard and pulp at manufacturing facilities across the nation. The company is a premier supplier of private label tissue to major retailers and wholesale distributors, including grocery, drug, mass merchants and discount stores. In addition, the company produces bleached paperboard used by quality-conscious printers and packaging converters, and offers services that include custom sheeting, slitting and cutting. Clearwater Paper's employees build shareholder value by developing strong customer partnerships through quality and service.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding the expected contributions and nominations of the new directors. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include those risks and uncertainties described from time to time in the company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements based on new developments or changes to the company's expectations.