FirstEnergy Announces Executive Retirements

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Jul 31, 2018, 10:05 ET

AKRON, Ohio, July 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced that Leila Vespoli, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy, Regulatory Affairs and chief legal officer, and James Pearson, executive vice president, Finance, have accepted FirstEnergy's Executive Early Retirement Program. Vespoli will retire effective April 1, 2019, and Pearson's retirement date is not expected to be later than April 1, 2019. In addition, Charles Lasky, senior vice president, Human Resources and chief human resources officer, will retire July 1, 2019.

"The contributions made by Leila, Jim and Charlie during their long careers with the company have been significant, particularly with mergers, acquisitions and growth," said FirstEnergy President and Chief Executive Officer Charles E. Jones. "Their strategic and thoughtful leadership has been greatly appreciated as the company and industry faced unprecedented changes over the last decade. On behalf of the entire organization, I thank them for all they have done to make FirstEnergy a top industry performer, rewarding place to work and solid investment for our shareholders."

Leila Vespoli
Vespoli began her career in 1984 as an associate attorney with Ohio Edison. After a series of promotions, she was appointed associate general counsel in 1997, named vice president and general counsel in 2000, senior vice president and general counsel in 2001, executive vice president and general counsel in 2008, and executive vice president, Markets, and chief legal officer in 2013. She was elected executive vice president, Corporate Strategy, Regulatory Affairs, and chief legal officer in 2016.

Vespoli graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics and earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives and attended the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management's Director Development Program.

Vespoli serves on the boards of Playhouse Square and The University of Akron Foundation and chairs the FirstEnergy Foundation. She previously served on many other boards, including Summa Health, where she chaired the Compensation Committee and served on the health system's Audit & Compliance Committee.

James Pearson
Pearson joined FirstEnergy subsidiary Penn Power in 1976 as a member of the Accounting department. He was named director of Financial Reporting for Ohio Edison in 1992. In 2001, he was promoted to group controller for FirstEnergy Solutions and also served as group controller of the Strategic Planning and Operations Group before being named treasurer of FirstEnergy in 2005. Pearson became vice president and treasurer in 2006 and was elected senior vice president and chief financial officer in 2013. He was named to his current position of executive vice president, Finance in 2018.

Pearson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa. He has completed the MIT Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives and the Harvard Business School's executive education program Driving Corporate Performance.

Pearson serves on the Greater Akron Musical Association Board of Trustees.

Charles Lasky
Lasky began his career with the company in 1986 as an engineer at the W.H. Sammis Plant in Stratton, Ohio. After serving in various engineering positions at Sammis and other generation locations, he was promoted to planning supervisor at the R.E. Burger Plant in Shadyside, Ohio, in 1992 and to Industrial Relations coordinator at the company's corporate offices in 1994. Lasky held several fossil operations and plant management positions before being named director of the Bruce Mansfield Plant in Shippingport, Pa., in 2001. He was promoted to vice president of Fossil Fleet Operation in 2004, named senior vice president, Human Resources in 2015, and senior vice president, Human Resources and chief human resource officer in 2018.

Lasky earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Akron and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Business School Executive Program, University of Michigan Chief Human Resource Officer program and the MIT Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives.

Lasky is a trustee for the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC).

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at www.firstenergycorp.com.

Editor's Note: Photos of Vespoli, Pearson and Lasky are available for download on Flickr.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.