Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN), the network specialist, today announced the appointment of David M. Rothenstein as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, effective November 2, 2008. In this capacity, Rothenstein will be responsible for all aspects and functions of Ciena’s worldwide legal affairs, and will serve as an integral member of the Company’s leadership team. Rothenstein replaces Russell B. Stevenson, Jr., who has retired following a seven-year tenure at Ciena.

Rothenstein, who joined Ciena in 2001, has served as vice president and associate general counsel for the past four years, and previously as assistant general counsel. He will report to Ciena’s President and CEO Gary B. Smith.

“We’d like to thank Russ for the valuable counsel he provided Ciena through an important and eventful period in its growth and evolution,” said Mr. Smith. “In wishing him the best, we look forward to leveraging David’s experience at Ciena and his professional insight in his leadership of a strong legal team.”

Prior to joining Ciena, Rothenstein, 40, practiced corporate, employment and technology law as well as business litigation at Paley, Rothman, Goldstein, Rosenberg & Cooper, Chtd., located in Bethesda, Md. Rothenstein earned his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from The George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Tufts University.

About Ciena

Ciena specializes in the transition to service-driven networks. We provide flexible platforms, intelligent software and professional services to help our customers use their networks to fundamentally change the way they compete. With a growing global presence, Ciena leverages its heritage of practical innovation to deliver maximum performance and economic value in communications networks worldwide. We routinely post recent news, financial results and other important announcements and information about Ciena on our website at www.ciena.com.