Bell Atlantic Names New Presidents in Maryland and Pennsylvania

Bell Atlantic Names New Presidents in Maryland and Pennsylvania

Daniel J. Whelan Heads to Philadelphia, Sherry F. Bellamy Leaves
Washington, D.C. for Baltimore

February 27, 1997

BALTIMORE -- Daniel J.
Whelan, 51, president and CEO, Bell Atlantic -
Maryland, has been appointed president and CEO of Bell
Atlantic - Pennsylvania, effective March 1. Whelan succeeds Bill Harral,
who
today announced his retirement.

Sherry F.
Bellamy, 44, will succeed Whelan as president and CEO,
Bell Atlantic - Maryland. Bellamy comes to the position following five
years as vice president and general counsel of Bell Atlantic -
Washington, D.C.

"Dan can be proud of a remarkable list of achievements during his
two
years at Bell Atlantic - Maryland," said James G.
Cullen, vice chairman,
Bell Atlantic. "His leadership smoothed our path to competition in
Maryland, and created progressive new approaches to area code relief and
technologies in our schools. I'm confident he'll be just as successful
in Pennsylvania."

Under Whelan's leadership, Maryland abandoned outmoded rate-of-return
regulation in favor of new rules that strengthen the company for
competition. Whelan also oversaw the successful implementation of
Logan Online, a national education model linking a Dundalk elementary
school to the homes of third graders via high-speed data lines.

"The success we've had in Maryland is the result of outstanding
support from each employee of Bell Atlantic-Maryland," Whelan said.
"I also appreciate the good working relationships we've had with our
regulators, legislators and with Governor Glendening. Their fresh
perspective fostered new approaches to regulation and competition in
our state."

Bellamy becomes president and CEO of Bell Atlantic - Maryland on
March 1. She joined the corporation as an attorney in 1991 and was
promoted to vice president and general counsel of Bell Atlantic -
Washington a few months later.

As chief legal counsel, Bellamy helped prepare the Washington, D.C.
company for the new competitive telecommunications environment by
winning the D. C. Public Service Commission's approval of price cap
regulation. In 1996, she also advanced that effort by working for
passage of a local telecommunications law that will further ensure a
level playing field for all competitors in the D.C. market.

"Sherry Bellamy is a brilliant attorney, a masterful negotiator and
a
tough competitor," said Cullen. "I consider her a trail
blazer. Just
as she opened new markets to us in Washington, she'll break the
barriers to real long distance competition in Maryland. Our employees
and customers alike will benefit from her leadership capabilities."

"I look forward to the challenge," Bellamy said.
"Competition will
flourish in Maryland, thanks to the forward-thinking approach of its
public policymakers. These are exciting times for our company and our
customers, and I'm delighted to be entering this new era with a
first-rate team of employees."

Bellamy is a graduate of Yale Law School and holds a B.A. degree in
political science from Swarthmore College. A specialist in
communications law, she has held positions with the law firms of
Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue and Chadbourne and Parke. Early in her
career, as staff attorney with the New Haven Legal Assistance
Association, Bellamy established a specialized civil litigation
section for the representation of children.

Bellamy's community and professional activities have included the
Greater Washington Urban League, the Lawyers Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law, the Federal Communications Bar Association and the
National Bar Association.

Bellamy and her husband, George Bumbray, Jr., currently reside in
Washington and are the parents of four children.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL) is
at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local
telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the
largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication
marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all
phases of the industry.

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