WGL Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: WGL) is pleased to announce that it has hired Leslie Thornton as Vice President and General Counsel. She will be responsible for directing the legal work of the company and supervising the company's attorney staff and the office of the corporate secretary. Ms. Thornton will join the company on Nov. 28, 2011, as Counsel to the Chairman, before assuming her position as Vice President and General Counsel on Jan. 1, 2012.

"We are fortunate and proud to have Leslie joining our leadership team," said WGL Holdings Chairman and CEO Terry D. McCallister. "She has built a tremendously diverse career as a civil and criminal litigator, a senior executive and a corporate director. Leslie is highly regarded in the legal community for her sound judgment, strategic thinking, leadership capability and collaborative style."

Ms. Thornton served as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Education and as a White House advisor during the Clinton administration. In her most recent position before joining WGL Holdings and Washington Gas, she was a partner at Dickstein Shapiro, LLP, conducting and managing sensitive internal corporate, federal government and state attorney general investigations. She also advised her clients in high-level matters before the Executive Branch and the White House. "Leslie will be missed by many at our Firm, to be sure," said Dickstein Chairman Michael E Nannes. "However, we are excited for Leslie and the opportunity this presents for her to draw upon her broad experiences in the legal, public policy, strategy, and leadership arenas."

Ms. Thornton is a prominent member of the Washington community. A resident for more than 30 years, she serves on the board of a number of non-profit organizations, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. She has founded two organizations in support of the education of disadvantaged youth in the D.C. area. Ms. Thornton has authored numerous articles and is a frequent panelist on a variety of issues, including compliance and diversity. Since 2005, she has also served on the board of the Career Education Corporation as chair of the Compliance Committee and recently was elected Lead Independent Director by her board colleagues.

As WGL Holdings welcomes Leslie T. Thornton to its leadership team, it is with both regret and tremendous gratitude that the company says farewell and best wishes to its current Vice President and General Counsel, Beverly J. Burke, who in June, announced her intent to retire at the end of this year. Ms. Burke joined the company in 1992. Since 1998, she has been an invaluable leader, first as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel and, since 2001, as Vice President and General Counsel.

"We thank Beverly for her wisdom, leadership and guidance in both legal and business issues in her time with WGL Holdings and Washington Gas," added McCallister. "We offer her our very best hopes for happiness and continued success upon her retirement."

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., WGL Holdings, Inc. has three operating segments: (i) the regulated utility segment, which primarily consists of Washington Gas, a natural gas utility that serves over one million customers throughout metropolitan Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region; (ii) the retail energy marketing segment which consists of Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc., a third-party marketer that competitively sells natural gas and electricity and (iii) the design-build energy systems segment, which consists of Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc., a provider of design-build energy efficiency solutions to government and commercial clients.

Additional information about WGL Holdings, Inc. is available on its website, wglholdings.com. Go to washingtongas.com for more information about Washington Gas Light Company.

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