Brian O. Casey to Become Chief Executive Officer of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.; Susan M. Byrne to Remain Chairman & Chief Investment Officer

DALLAS, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE: WHG) announced that effective January 1, 2006, Brian O. Casey, currently President and Chief Operating Officer, will become President and Chief Executive Officer of Westwood, succeeding founder Susan M. Byrne as Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Byrne will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Investment Officer of Westwood.

"Brian has been a strong partner for over thirteen years and this transition of the CEO title is the codification of a plan under consideration for some time," said Ms. Byrne. "The demands as the CEO of a public company are considerable and Brian has demonstrated the skills necessary to lead our firm. I look forward to spending my time exclusively on the management of our clients' assets and my continued role as Chairman and Chief Investment Officer."

"This is an exciting time to lead Westwood," said Mr. Casey. "We are beginning to see tangible results of the expansion of our investment team that we initiated in 2002. Our institutional team has produced strong performance for our clients this year and we have been hard at work developing new products to meet the needs of our clients. We introduced an institutional SMidCap product early this year and recently completed the initial SEC filing for two new mutual funds, the WHG SMidCap Fund and the WHG Income Opportunity Fund. Collectively, we will strive to continue delivering superior returns and attentive personal service for our clients and shareholders in the years ahead."

Mr. Casey, age 42, joined Westwood in 1992 as Vice President and in 1996 became President and Chairman of the Board of Westwood Trust. He was later named to the Board of Directors of Westwood Management Corp. and became President and Chief Operating Officer of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. in December 2001. Prior to joining Westwood, Mr. Casey was a portfolio manager for a privately held trust company. He received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor of Science from Trinity University, and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Mr. Casey resides in Dallas with his wife Meridith and their three children.

About Westwood

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. manages investment assets and provides services for its clients through two subsidiaries, Westwood Management Corp. and Westwood Trust. Westwood Management Corp. is a registered investment advisor and provides investment advisory services to corporate pension funds, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds and clients of Westwood Trust. Westwood Trust provides, to institutions and high net worth individuals, trust and custodial services and participation in common trust funds that it sponsors. Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WHG". For more information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.westwoodgroup.com .

Note on Forward-looking Statements

Statements that are not purely historical facts, including statements about anticipated or expected future revenue and earnings growth and profitability, as well as other statements including words such as "strive," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "should," "could," "goal," "target," "designed," "on track," "continue," "comfortable with," "optimistic," "look forward to" and other similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results to be materially different from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include the risks and uncertainties referenced in our documents filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation those identified under the caption "Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements.

Media contact:

Tucker Hewes, Hewes Communications, Inc., (212) 207-9451, tucker@hewescomm.com

SOURCE Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.
10/25/2005
CONTACT: media, Tucker Hewes of Hewes Communications, Inc.,
+1-212-207-9451, tucker@hewescomm.com
Web site: http://www.westwoodgroup.com
(WHG)