Natural Gas Industry Leader Gary Sypolt To Retire From Dominion

RICHMOND, Va., June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D) announced today that Gary L. Sypolt will retire as executive vice president of the company and CEO of its Dominion Energy business unit on Sept. 1 after a 38-year career. Sypolt is a recognized leader in the natural gas industry, where he has served as an officer or board member for many industry organizations.

"Gary has contributed greatly to the success of our company and the natural gas industry," said Dominion Chairman, President and CEO Thomas F. Farrell II. "He has skillfully led our natural gas transmission, distribution and storage business into a period of significant investment and growth that positions it for even greater success in the future. Gary's leadership skills, strategic insight, integrity and ability to understand issues from all sides have made him invaluable. He will be deeply missed and everyone at Dominion wishes him the best."

The company also announced several other executive changes.

Effective July 1:

• Charles D. "Doug" Holley will retire as vice president–Fossil & Hydro System Operations of the Dominion Generation business unit after 38 years of service. He will be succeeded by Edward H. Baine, who currently is vice president–Fossil & Hydro Merchant Operations. John D. Smatlak, vice president–Fossil & Hydro Technical Services, will add responsibility for Dominion's Fairless and Manchester Street merchant power stations and renewable generating facilities when Baine assumes his new post. Baine and Smatlak will continue to report to J. David Rives, senior vice president–Fossil & Hydro.

Effective Jan. 1, 2014:

• Thomas R. Bean will retire as vice president–Financial Management of Dominion Generation after 35 years of service.
• Joseph G. O'Hare will retire as vice president–Financial Management of the Dominion Virginia Power business unit after 34 years of service. Simon C. Hodges, vice president–Financial Management of Dominion Energy, will become vice president–Financial Management of the Energy Infrastructure Group, combining his current responsibilities with those of O'Hare. Hodges will report to Paul D. Koonce, CEO of the Energy Infrastructure Group, the Dominion business group that includes the Dominion Virginia Power and Dominion Energy business units.
• Christine M. Schwab, vice president and Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, will leave the company after 18 years of service with plans to start a risk advisory practice. Carter M. Reid, senior vice president–Administrative Services and Corporate Secretary, will assume the responsibility of Chief Compliance Officer on July 1. Mark O. Webb, vice president and General Counsel, will assume the responsibility of Chief Risk Officer on Jan. 1.

"These departing executives also have done outstanding work in serving the company, its shareholders, customers and fellow employees," Farrell said. "We thank them for their dedicated service and congratulate them as they move forward to the next phases of their lives."

Sypolt joined what is now Dominion Transmission, the company's interstate natural gas transmission and storage business, in 1975 after receiving a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia University. He has held numerous management and executive positions at the company. He was named senior vice president–Pipeline Operations in 1999, senior vice president–Transmission in 2001, and president–Dominion Transmission in 2003. He assumed his current position in 2009.

Sypolt also is first vice chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and chairman of INGAA's Natural Gas/Electric Reliability Board Task Force, which was created to address questions related to the anticipated future growth in natural gas-fired electric generation. He is a member of the boards of directors of the American Gas Association and Southern Gas Association. He is past chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America Foundation, and serves on the boards of the Richmond Forum and National Advisory Board for Advanced Energy at West Virginia University.

Holley has served in his current position since 2007, being responsible for all of Dominion's regulated coal, natural gas and oil-fueled and hydro power stations. After joining the company in 1975, he served in a number of engineering and leadership positions at Dominion, including station manager at the Chesterfield Power Station and Roanoke Rapids Hydro Station, and director–Fossil & Hydro Operations. Holley has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia Tech.

Baine held numerous engineering, operational, and management positions after joining the company in 1995. He was promoted to vice president–Shared Services in 2009 and assumed his current position in 2012. Baine has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and completed the advanced management program at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

Smatlak joined Dominion in 1978 and held various management positions in electric distribution, customer service and human resources before being named vice president–Electric Transmission in 2006. He was named vice president­–Transmission in 2007 and assumed his current position in 2009. Smatlak has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Penn State University and is a graduate of the executive program at the University of Michigan. He is a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

Bean became vice president–Financial Management & Corporate Planning at Dominion in 2004 after serving in several management positions in financial analysis and planning, market research and market analysis. He became vice president–Financial Management for Dominion Virginia Power in 2006. He was named vice president–Financial Analysis, Alternative Energy Solutions, in 2009, and assumed his current position in 2012. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University.

O'Hare became vice president–Budgeting, Forecasting & Investor Relations in 2007 after working previously in a variety of positions in customer service, electric distribution operations and finance, and investor relations. He became vice president­–Budgeting, Business Planning & Market Analysis in 2009. O'Hare assumed his current position in 2011. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from Rutgers College and a master's degree in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Hodges joined Dominion in 1982, serving as an economist and in positions in market research, planning and investment analysis before becoming vice president–Financial Planning in 2000. He assumed his current position in 2009. Hodges received a bachelor's degree in economics from the College of William & Mary and a master's degree in economics from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Schwab joined Dominion's Law Department in 1995 and also worked in financial analysis, planning and transactions before being promoted to vice president–Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures in 2006. She became vice president–Business Development in 2007, Chief Risk Officer in 2008, and vice president–Regulatory Compliance and Chief Risk Officer in 2011. Schwab assumed her current position at the start of this year. She has a bachelor's degree in economics and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. More information is available on the company's Web site, www.dom.com.

SOURCE Dominion