Powers Named AEP Chief Operating Officer; Feinberg Will Become General Counsel Jan. 1

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert P. Powers has been elected executive vice president and chief operating officer of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), effective immediately, according to Nicholas K. Akins, AEP's president and chief executive officer.

Powers was previously president – AEP Utilities, responsible for AEP's electric utility operations that serve more than 5 million customers in 11 states. In his new position, Powers will report to Akins and be responsible for AEP's electric utility operations, power generation and commercial operations.

Akins also announced that David M. Feinberg will serve as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of AEP, effective Jan. 1 with the retirement of current general counsel D. Michael Miller. Feinberg, who will report to Akins, is currently senior vice president and general counsel of American Electric Power Service Corp., a service subsidiary providing management and professional services to AEP and its subsidiaries.

"Bob has extensive experience with all aspects of operations at American Electric Power," Akins said. "His leadership and his insights as chief operating officer will be extremely valuable as we position AEP for continued success in the ever-changing regulatory, public policy and technological environment in which we operate.

"David's experience and legal expertise on issues currently facing our industry will be a great asset to AEP," Akins said. "He has worked closely with Mike Miller since joining the company earlier this year. Mike's sound legal counsel will be missed when he retires at the end of the year, but his work to familiarize David about our company and our issues, combined with David's experience as a general counsel prior to joining AEP, will ensure a smooth transition."

Powers became president – AEP Utilities in 2008. Prior to this, he was executive vice president – AEP Utilities East, responsible for AEP's utility operating units Appalachian Power, Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Columbus Southern Power and Ohio Power, which serve 3.2 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Previously, he was executive vice president – Generation, a position he had held since 2003. He was responsible for all generation activities, including fossil and hydro generation; nuclear generation; project and field services; fuel, emissions and logistics, and business services.

From 2001 to 2003, he was executive vice president – Nuclear and Technical Services. Powers joined AEP in 1998 as senior vice president of nuclear generation. He previously served as vice president and plant manager of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Generating Station.

Powers earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Tufts University in Boston and a master's degree in radiological hygiene from the University of North Carolina. Powers earned senior reactor operator certification in 1991.

Feinberg joined AEP as senior vice president and general counsel of AEP Service Corp. in May 2011 after serving as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Allegheny Energy since October 2006. Prior to that, he served Allegheny as senior litigation counsel and later as deputy general counsel and corporate compliance officer.

He received his juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School where he was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law and Technology. He holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics and a bachelor of arts in psychology, both from the University of Pennsylvania.

Following his graduation from Harvard, Feinberg served as a clerk to the Honorable Joel M. Flaum of the United States Court of Appeals before beginning private practice with Jenner & Block in Chicago. He left his partnership with Jenner & Block to join Allegheny in 2004.

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