Duke Energy names Kendal Bowman new North Carolina state president, succeeding Stephen De May

• Bowman will lead state and local regulatory and government relations, and community affairs
• De May to retire after 33 years of service

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today announced that Kendal Bowman will become North Carolina state president, effective Jan. 1. She will succeed Stephen De May, who is retiring after 33 years with the company.

As president of Duke Energy's utility operations in North Carolina, where the company has approximately 3.7 million electric retail customers and 786,000 natural gas customers, Bowman will be responsible for the performance of Duke Energy's regulated utilities in North Carolina, along with leading state and local regulatory and government relations, and community affairs. She will also manage continued efforts to engage and work with customers and stakeholders across many topics, including North Carolina's clean energy transition.

De May has been with Duke Energy since 1990 and has served as its North Carolina president since November 2018. Previously he was treasurer and senior vice president of tax for Duke Energy; during his 11 years as treasurer, he also led the corporate risk management and investor relations functions at various times. Earlier he served as vice president of energy and environmental policy, led the company's business unit finance and corporate finance groups, and was a director of the company's former real estate development business, Crescent Resources.

"Throughout his career, Stephen has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to our company, our customers and our employees," said Lynn Good, Duke Energy chair, president and CEO. "Through his work, he consistently positioned Duke Energy for success, whether through financing the company's growth cost-effectively, advocating for our customers' interests during federal tax reform, or advancing our clean energy transition in North Carolina together with our many stakeholders. I want to thank Stephen for his many contributions and I wish him the very best in his retirement."

In her current role as vice president of regulatory affairs and policy for North Carolina, Bowman manages the company's presence in all regulatory matters before the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), including the Carolinas Carbon Plan. She works closely with policymakers and other stakeholders to find working, sustainable solutions to energy policy needs, providing leadership in the development and implementation of public policy in the best interest of the customers and communities served by Duke Energy.

"Kendal's solutions-oriented approach brings together diverse interests to achieve productive outcomes for our state," said Julie Janson, executive vice president and chief executive officer for Duke Energy Carolinas. "Advancing the clean energy transition will require steadfast collaboration and addressing challenges in new ways, and I'm thrilled Kendal will be at the helm for Duke Energy in North Carolina."

Earlier, Bowman served as deputy general counsel for Duke Energy, managing all legal state regulatory functions for North Carolina. Prior to that, she was associate general counsel for Progress Energy in North Carolina and South Carolina. She previously led the federal legal regulatory affairs group and was responsible for all Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) matters for Progress Energy Carolinas and Progress Energy Florida. She has been with the company since 1999.

Bowman, 50, currently serves on the North Carolina Energy Policy Council and serves on the board of directors for Advanced Energy Corp. A native of Clarksville, Va., she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Stetson University.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear. 

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

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SOURCE Duke Energy