COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Electric
Power (NYSE: AEP) is making several organizational and leadership
changes, effective Jan. 1, 2012, to
focus its transmission business unit on implementing transmission
projects in the company's 11-state footprint, increasing
investments to improve transmission infrastructure and continuing
to develop joint venture projects outside the company's service
territory.
"A robust transmission system that can efficiently move power
across different regions of the country is key to a secure energy
future and economic growth for the United
States," said Nicholas K.
Akins, AEP president and chief executive officer. "Much of
the investment in the transmission system was made decades ago. We
believe that now is the time to re-invest in the system to ensure
we can continue providing reliable, efficient transmission service
to our customers while we pursue transmission growth opportunities
inside and outside of AEP's service territory. This realignment of
our transmission business will help us improve the system, advance
our leadership in the industry and deliver earnings growth through
transmission projects."
In support of AEP's movement toward the operating company model,
Michael Heyeck, 57, senior vice
president of transmission, will be responsible for ensuring that
the transmission needs of AEP's operating companies and wholesale
customers are integrated into transmission business planning.
Heyeck also will serve as president of Electric Transmission
America, a joint venture of AEP and MidAmerican Energy Holdings
Company. He will continue to oversee Electric Transmission Texas
and have responsibility for region operations and compliance for
AEP's 11-state transmission system. Heyeck will continue to report
to Lisa Barton, executive vice
president – AEP Transmission, with a new indirect reporting
relationship to Robert P. Powers,
AEP's executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Scott N. Smith, 47, has been
named senior vice president of transmission strategy and business
operations, responsible for transmission planning, real-time
operations, technology, financial reporting, business development
and strategic initiatives, process improvement and performance
management. Smith previously was vice president and assistant to
the president of Ohio Valley Electric Corporation. He will report
to Barton.
Also reporting to Barton will be Scott
P. Moore, vice president of transmission engineering and
project services. Moore, 51, is responsible for leading
transmission project management, construction management and
engineering.
Barton also announced the promotion of Robert W. Bradish, 48, to vice president of grid
development, reporting to Smith. In his new role, Bradish will be
responsible for transmission planning, real-time operations and
technology development. Bradish previously was managing director of
transmission planning and business development.
"Our team of talented and dedicated leaders will position AEP to
be successful as we manage our transmission investments, focus on
improving the reliability of the system for our customers and
execute new growth opportunities," Barton said. "Along with the
increased responsibilities for Mike, Scott
Moore and Bob, we are thrilled that Scott Smith is bringing his wealth of business
operations experience to our transmission organization and will be
leading the development of strategies to grow our business."
Prior to being named senior vice president of transmission in
2006, Heyeck held several leadership and engineering positions in
AEP Transmission, including asset management, planning and
operations. He also held a leadership position in Corporate
Planning and Budgeting. Heyeck joined AEP in 1976. He earned his
bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering at the
New Jersey Institute of Technology and
a master's in business administration at the University of Dayton. He is a graduate of the
Executive Program at the University of
Virginia's Darden School and
the AEP Management Development Program at The Ohio State University. He is a registered
professional engineer in the state of Ohio.
Smith has served as vice president and assistant to the
president of Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC) since 2010.
Previously, he was vice president – Generation Business Services
for AEP since 2005. He joined AEP in 2001 as chief risk officer.
Prior to that, he was vice president of risk management for Global
Consumer Bank, a division of Citigroup. Before joining Citigroup in
1995, Smith was vice president of risk management for First
Fidelity/First Union. Earlier, he was a national bank examiner for
the U.S. Treasury Department. He served as a captain in the U.S.
Army and worked as an engineer during his military service. Smith
received a bachelor's degree in finance from Drexel University in Philadelphia and an associate degree in
business administration from Valley Forge
Military College in Wayne,
Pa.
Moore has been vice president of transmission engineering and
project services since 2010 and previously served as vice president
of transmission system and region operations since 2007. From 2000
to 2007, he was vice president of transmission operations. Prior to
that, he served as director of system operations for Central and
South West Corp. (CSW) before its merger with AEP in June 2000. He began his career with CSW in 1983
at West Texas Utilities as a substation engineer. Moore received a
bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and has completed the Wharton School
of Business Executive Development Program. He is a registered
professional engineer in the state of Texas.
Bradish became AEP's managing director of transmission planning
and business development in 2010. Previously, he was vice president
of market operations. Bradish joined AEP in 1987 as an engineer in
transmission planning and has held a number of management positions
related to energy trading, transmission and fundamental analysis,
price forecasting and RTO market operations. Bradish holds
bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from
Clarkson University in New York. He
also holds a master of business administration degree from The
Ohio State University and is a
registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio.
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