AEP Names Miller General Counsel

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- D. Michael (Mike) Miller has been named senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), effective July 1.

Miller will be filling roles currently held by John B. Keane, who has served as general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer since 2004 and executive vice president since 2008. Keane is retiring from the company June 30.

Miller will have responsibility for all corporate legal affairs and supervision of AEP's Legal Department. He will report to Michael G. Morris, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer.

"Mike has demonstrated his legal expertise both at AEP and in private practice. He has been at the center of many of our most important legal proceedings since joining AEP, and his extensive legal skills and deep knowledge of our company and industry will serve us well as he leads our legal team," Morris said.

"Jack's many contributions to AEP over the last six years will be sincerely missed, including his sage legal counsel and his effective leadership of our legal team. We wish him the very best in his retirement," Morris said.

Sandra K. (Sandy) Williams has been named chief compliance officer, succeeding Keane in that role. Williams will be responsible for designing, implementing and administering AEP's ethics and compliance programs. In conformity with emerging best practices, she will report to the board of directors and have direct access to the chief executive officer, while reporting administratively to the legal department.

"Sandy has directed AEP's Ethics & Compliance program since 2006. I'm confident that she will continue to enhance the program through her dedication, high standards and creativity," Morris said.

Miller, 62, joined AEP in 1995 as chief counsel - Fuel Supply. He was named chief counsel - Power Generation & Litigation in 1996 and deputy general counsel in 2002. Before joining AEP, Miller was a partner in the Columbus office of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, where he served as a departmental practice manager, chairman of the Associate Evaluation and Compensation Committee and a member of the New Partner Admissions Committee. Miller has a bachelor's degree in government from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University College of Law in Columbus. He is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and is a mentor in the Ohio Supreme Court's Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program. Miller also is vice chair of the United Way of Central Ohio's Education Impact Council. Miller is admitted to practice law in Ohio and is licensed to appear before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Sixth and District of Columbia Circuits and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.

Williams, 51, joined AEP in 2000 to support its telecommunications affiliates. Later that year, she was named senior counsel - Regulatory Services, representing AEP's operating companies before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Williams was named director - Ethics & Compliance in 2006. Before joining AEP, Williams served in several legal positions at Sprint including senior federal regulatory counsel. She also served as legal counsel to the PUCO. She has a bachelor's degree in political science from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and a juris doctor degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus. She is admitted to practice law in Ohio and is licensed to appear before the United States Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.

SOURCE American Electric Power