Duke Energy's Brett Carter named chief distribution officer; Paul Newton to succeed Carter as company's president for North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy North Carolina since 2008, has been named chief distribution officer and senior vice president for the company's utility operations in six states.

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The company has named Paul R. Newton to succeed Carter as state president for North Carolina.

In his new role, Carter will have responsibility for the company's distribution systems and operations in the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, as the utilities continue working to modernize the electric grid.

Duke Energy's utility subsidiaries own and operate more than 250,000 miles of distribution lines, which are the power lines that directly serve the company's 7.1 million retail customers. The company also owns and maintains 32,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in six states. Carter will report to Keith Trent, executive vice president and chief operating officer-Regulated Utilities.

As state president for North Carolina, Newton will be responsible for advancing the company's rate and regulatory initiatives and managing state and local regulatory and governmental relations, economic development and community affairs, as well as water strategy and services.

The company's two utilities in North Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas and Progress Energy Carolinas, together serve more than 3.2 million North Carolina households and businesses.

Newton will be located in Raleigh and will report to Lloyd Yates, executive vice president-Regulated Utilities.

"Brett has been an outstanding leader, state president and advocate for customers, shareholders, our company and our communities in North Carolina," Trent said. "He'll use those same skills in his new role to advance our work to maintain a reliable electric grid while modernizing the electricity systems that serve our customers."

"Paul brings deep knowledge and experience, commitment and proven leadership to build on our positive record," Yates said. "With these leaders in place, we are well positioned to continue leveraging the benefits of the merged companies for our customers and communities."

Carter has been with Duke Energy since 2005 in a number of executive roles in customer service, business development and other functions. He came to Duke Energy from Aquila in Kansas City, where he was responsible for customer service and information technology. He is a graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Carter has been active in a number of community and professional activities. He was named as a 2010 Charlotte Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council. Carter also received the Whitney M. Young Award from the Urban League of Central Carolinas for outstanding dedication to philanthropy, diversity and inclusion. He and his wife, Rebecca, have a daughter and two sons.

Newton is currently senior vice president and special advisor to Duke Energy Chairman, President and CEO Jim Rogers. He began his career in private law practice in New Mexico, and joined Duke Energy in 1990.

Prior to his current role, he served as senior vice president of strategy, rates, wholesale customers, commodities and analytics for Duke Energy. He also served for more than 18 years as legal counsel for the company's utility operations, in positions of increasing responsibility. His most recent legal role was as general counsel of Duke Energy's franchised electric and gas operations.

Newton is a native of Eden, N.C. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also completed the Harvard Advanced Management Program.

In 2008, he was named as a Charlotte-area Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council. He has been a strong supporter of the United Way of Central Carolinas. He and his wife, Melanie, have three daughters and a son.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), the largest electric power company in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 7 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest. The company also distributes natural gas in Ohio and Kentucky. Its commercial power and international businesses operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing renewable energy portfolio. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com. 

SOURCE Duke Energy