CHICAGO, July 16, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Professional Diversity Network, Inc. (Nasdaq:IPDN) ("PDN") announced today that Ms. Randi Zuckerberg will be joining the Professional Diversity Network Board of Directors upon the completion of the pending merger with National Association of Professional Women ("NAPW).

"Ms. Zuckerberg is one of the true generational leaders of our time and is shaping the socioeconomic character of our nation in very powerful and positive ways. Having a director with Randi's intellect, character and creativity is incredibly valuable to our core mission of providing professional opportunity to diverse Americans," commented Jim Kirsch, CEO of Professional Diversity Network.

"As a passionate leader, visionary and extraordinary businesswoman, Randi embodies the characteristics, cutting-edge mindset and trailblazing attitude of a new generation of leaders," said Star Jones, NAPW President and National Spokesperson. "As a featured speaker at our NAPW National Networking Conferences, Randi exuded the entrepreneurial spirit and unabashed confidence that empowered all of the professional women in attendance. With Randi, a long-time friend, colleague and supporter of NAPW on the PDN Board of Directors, we can truly further expand and promote the importance of diversity in the workplace."

"I truly believe that any organization benefits from having a greater diversity of voices at the table. I am honored to join the Professional Diversity Network's board of directors, as their work is paving the way for a more accepting and diverse workplace," said Randi Zuckerberg. "We have come a long way in bringing cultural, gender, and sexual orientation equality to the professional setting, but there is so much more we can do. I hope that by lending my voice and background to the already impressive group that makes up the board, we can truly make a difference in creating more job opportunity, bringing greater diversity to the workplace, and removing the glass ceiling once and for all, for anyone currently facing it."

The merger agreement with NAPW provides that at the effective time of the merger, PDN will appoint four new individuals designated by NAPW to its board, one of whom will be Ms. Zuckerberg. Ms. Zuckerberg's appointment to PDN's board will take effect when the current board acts to appoint her and the merger closes.

About Professional Diversity Network

Professional Diversity Network (PDN) develops and operates online professional networking communities dedicated to serving diverse professionals in the United States and employers seeking to hire diverse talent. PDN's networking communities harness its relationship recruitment methodology to facilitate and empower professional networking within common affinities. PDN believes that those within a common affinity often are more aggressive in helping others within their respective group progress professionally. PDN operates these relationship recruitment affinity groups within the following sectors: Women, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Disabled, Military Professionals, Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), and Student and Graduates seeking to transition from education to career. The online platform of PDN provides employers a means to identify and acquire diverse talent and assist them with their efforts to comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program.

About National Association of Professional Women

NAPW defines success as "owning your own power." As the largest, most-recognized organization of professional women in the country, spanning virtually every industry and profession, National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is a powerfully vibrant networking community with over 600,000 members and nearly 300 Local Chapters. NAPW members have diverse backgrounds, beliefs, perspectives and lifestyles with one common bond – their ability to succeed.

NAPW's mission is to provide an exclusive, highly advanced networking forum to successful women executives, professionals and entrepreneurs where they can aspire, connect and achieve. By providing seminars, podcasts, webinars, speakers, and educational tools, NAPW helps to foster the critical skills needed for its members to achieve personal and career success. Through innovative resources, unique tools and progressive benefits, professional women interact, exchange ideas, advance their knowledge and empower each other.

About Randi Zuckerberg

Randi Zuckerberg is a New York Times best-selling Author, the founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, a media and production company, and Editor-in-Chief of Dot Complicated, an online community helping us navigate and "untangle" our wired, wonderful lives. Randi recently released her first books with HarperCollins, The New York Times best-seller, Dot Complicated, which addresses the multifaceted complications of our socially transparent world, and a children's picture book, titled Dot. As an early executive at Facebook, Randi created and ran the social media pioneer's marketing programs and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011 for her innovative coverage of the 2010 mid-term elections. Since starting Zuckerberg Media, Randi has produced shows and digital content for PayPal, the Clinton Global Initiative, Cirque du Soleil, The United Nations, Bravo and Condé Nast, with many other projects in the works.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "project," "could," "should," "would," "continue," "seek," "target," "guidance," "outlook," "forecast," and other similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on the current objectives, beliefs, and expectations of PDN and NAPW, and they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and timing of certain events to differ materially from the information in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from such statements: the occurrence of any event, change, or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; the risk that a closing condition to the proposed Merger may not be satisfied; synergies and other benefits from the proposed merger may not be realized within the expected time frames; costs or difficulties related to integration matters might be greater than expected; unanticipated changes and competition in the online recruitment market; and other economic, business, competitive, and regulatory factors affecting the businesses of the PDN and NAPW generally, including those set forth in the filings of PDN with the SEC, especially in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of its annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof or as of the dates indicated in the statements. Neither PDN or NAPW assumes any obligation to publicly update or supplement any forward-looking statement to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting these forward-looking statements except as required by law. The parties currently anticipate that the closing of the merger will occur in the third quarter of 2014, however, PDN cannot predict the actual date on which the merger will be completed, if at all, because completion is subject to conditions beyond PDN's control.