E4 Carolinas Elects Next Chair
Energy Association also adds two members to its Board of Directors
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- E4 Carolinas' Board of Directors has elected its 2014-2015 chair and added two board members.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131218/CL35249 )
The board elected Tom Franch, senior vice president, Reactors & Services North America for AREVA, as chairman of the E4 Carolinas Board of Directors. Franch begins his two-year term on January 1, 2014, and replaces inaugural chairs George Baldwin of Piedmont Natural Gas and Clark Gillespy of Duke Energy South Carolina.
"I am pleased to represent AREVA in this role with E4 Carolinas," said Franch. "The Carolinas' energy industry is a major contributor to the economic development of the region. I look forward to utilizing my global experience with AREVA and working with my E4 Carolinas partners to encourage the continued growth of the energy sector in the Carolinas and development of clean, safe power around the world."
Franch brings more than 30 years of energy industry experience to this role. During his 13 years with AREVA, he has led the engineering and reactors & services organizations in achieving operational excellence through safety, quality, performance and delivery.
In 2013, Franch was honored by the Charlotte Business Journal and E4 Carolinas as an Energy Leadership Award winner. Past honorees include, Piedmont Natural Gas CEO Tom Skains, Duke Energy executives Jim Rogers and Dhiaa Jamil, SCANA CEO Kevin Marsh, and ABB executive Enrique Santacana.
In addition to his involvement with E4 Carolinas, Franch is an advisory board member of the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and an active member of the American Nuclear Society.
The board also added two members.
Mark Marano, Westinghouse Electric Company president, Americas, brings more than 25 years of experience in utility and vendor operations, as well as strategy, business development, commercial operations and customer relations to the energy association. Mark has held executive positions with AREVA, GE-Hitachi and American Electric Power. Westinghouse has operations in both North and South Carolina.
E4 Carolinas' Board of Directors also elected David Wright, president of Wright Directions, Columbia, S.C., who provides regulatory consulting for the utility industry. Previously, David was elected to the South Carolina Public Service Commission (SCPSC) from the Second Congressional District in a special session of the S.C. General Assembly. He chaired the SCPSC from 2012-13. David was also president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
"The board of E4 Carolinas continues to add strength and new strategic capabilities. Our organization's two-state footprint, aimed at the full spectrum of the energy industry, intends to enhance energy industry jobs, education, research and smart policy," said Scott Carlberg, president of E4 Carolinas.
About E4 Carolinas: E4 Carolinas is a not-for-profit corporation that convenes industry, research and educational institutions, innovators, economic development organizations, and public leaders to coordinate the energy cluster in the Carolinas. The letter "E" in its title represents the organization's values in four ways:
- Energy is the cornerstone of the modern economy, and energy leadership reinforces prosperity;
- Economically viable energy production is critical to competitiveness;
- Environmental impacts of energy production and use should be minimized;
- Efficient use of energy and other resources improves performance and sustainability.
E4 Carolinas has logged notable accomplishments in the past year. Among them, the association graduated more than 50 people from its emerging energy leaders classes and convenes its next classes in January 2014. The organization issued an economic impact analysis of the nuclear energy industry in the Carolinas, measuring more than $20 billion annually across the two states. The energy group regularly reaches out to the leadership in all the colleges of engineering in the two states to enhance energy engineering education. E4 Carolinas continues its work with economic development groups, convention bureaus and the industry to locate new professional development and conference opportunities in the Carolinas. E4 Carolinas has established a team for an "Electric Utility of the Future" initiative starting in January, bringing to the table diverse energy interests to explore a next-generation business model for utilities.
Information about the energy association is at www.E4Carolinas.org.
About AREVA: AREVA provides its customers with solutions for low-carbon power generation in North America, and all over the world. As the leader in nuclear energy and a significant, growing player in the renewable energies sector, AREVA combines U.S. and Canadian leadership, access to worldwide expertise and a proven track record of performance. us.areva.com
SOURCE E4 Carolinas
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