LAS VEGAS, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASCA) announced that Leslie Nathanson Juris, Ph.D. has been elected as a member of its Board of Directors. As President of Nathanson/Juris Consulting, Ms. Nathanson Juris advises executives of publicly and privately held companies in a broad range of industries on issues of strategy, structure, succession, culture and practices to improve organizational performance.

From 1994 to 1999, Ms. Nathanson Juris was Managing Partner of Roberts, Nathanson & Wolfson Consulting, Inc. (now known as RNW Consulting), a management consulting firm. She has more than 23 years of experience in the areas of implementing strategy and managing complex organizational change, and has founded two successful firms that consulted in these areas. She has also been a lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago for more than 20 years.

Ameristar Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Craig H. Neilsen said of the election: "Leslie Nathanson Juris will be an outstanding addition to the Ameristar Board. Her breadth of expertise in corporate strategy and her experience in guiding executives through challenging business environments will help Ameristar further articulate and implement competitive strategies and practices."

Ms. Nathanson Juris holds a bachelor's degree from Tufts University; she holds a master's with emphasis in management and education and a doctorate specializing in organizational behavior, both from Northwestern University. She also serves on the board of directors of Successories Inc., a manufacturer of motivational home and office decor, and Chas. Levy Company LLC, a nationwide distributor of books and magazines. She is author of "Small Group Problem Solving: An Aid to Organizational Effectiveness."

Ameristar Casinos, Inc. is an innovative, Las Vegas-based entertainment company known for its distinctive, quality conscious hotel casinos and value orientation. The organization's roots go back nearly five decades to a tiny roadside casino located in the high plateau country that borders Idaho and Nevada. Publicly held since November 1993, the corporation owns and operates six properties in Nevada, Missouri, Iowa and Mississippi, two of which carry the prestigious American Automobile Association's Four Diamond designation.

Visit Ameristar Casinos' Web site at www.ameristarcasinos.com (which shall not be deemed to be incorporated in or a part of this news release).

Source: Ameristar Casinos, Inc.