Mescalero, New Mexico - December 17, 2002 - The Mescalero Apache Tribe today announced the appointment of two executives at the Tribe�s new Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino:  Michael D. French, Chief Operating Officer � Resort Operations Brian D. Parrish, Director of Resort Marketing Michael French brings over 20 years experience in upscale hotel and resort operations with him to Mescalero. He most recently was Senior Vice President of Operations for 4 years at the Venetian Hotel Casino Resort in Las Vegas, responsible for all gaming, hotel, food & beverage, engineering and security, plus involvement in high-end player marketing. Some of his previous positions include Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations for Caesar�s Palace in Las Vegas; Managing Director at Loews Anatole Hotel in Dallas; Vice President/General Manager at The Peabody Orlando.

The new Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, a multimillion-dollar replacement of the current Inn of the Mountain Gods and Casino Apache facilities, will be a 275-room casino resort complex featuring 37,000 sf of gaming space, 36,000 sf convention facilities, a 20,000 sf full service spa and fitness center, 1,800 space parking structure, four restaurants and numerous other guest amenities with a scheduled opening in November 2004.

Brian Parrish brings 14 years of marketing experience to the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. He also comes to the Tribe with experience at the Venetian Hotel Casino Resort in Las Vegas, where has was Vice President of Marketing for 2 years, a position he left to form his own marketing consulting group. Previous experience includes positions as Vice President of Hotel Operations and Regional Marketing, Regional Vice President of Marketing, Corporate Director of Planning, all for Boyd Gaming Corporation in Las Vegas; Vice President of Marketing for Windsor Casino Limited; Director of Casino Marketing for the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.

Brian will be responsible for the overall marketing efforts of the Mescalero Apache Tribe�s resort properties, including the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, Casino Apache Travel Center and Ski Apache. He will oversee the retention of new customers as well as the development of new markets for the Tribe.

Commenting on the recent appointments, Sara Misquez, President of the Mescalero Apache Tribe said, �This is a great team of experienced casino and resort executives to complement our current management staff. As we move closer to our November 2004 Resort opening, we will continue to add qualified and respected management to our Tribal operations.�

�Our selection of Mike and Brian strengthens our position for achieving the ambitious program pursued by the Tribal Council and myself to gain economic self-sufficiency for the Mescalero Apache people now and for generations to come.�

The Mescalero Apache Tribe is the largest employer in south-central New Mexico, employing nearly 3,000 people with total payroll, taxes and benefits in excess of $43 million annually.