AEP Retirees & Alumni

American Electric Power is making several executive leadership changes to better support the company’s strategic priorities. As part of these changes, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) position is being eliminated, and business units that are part of this organization are being reassigned.

Peggy Simmons has been named executive vice president, Utilities, effective immediately. Simmons will report to Julie Sloat, president and chief financial officer. Reporting to Simmons will be:

• Steve Baker, president and COO of Indiana Michigan Power
• Stacey Gabbard, vice president, Customer Support
• Brett Mattison, president and COO of Kentucky Power
• Marc Reitter, president and COO of AEP Ohio
• Malcolm Smoak, president and COO of Southwestern Electric Power Company
• Leigh Anne Strahler, who is being promoted to president and COO of Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO)
• Judith Talavera, president and COO of AEP Texas
• Aaron Walker, who is being promoted to president and COO of Appalachian Power Company (APCO)

“Aligning the customer support organization with the operating companies will help ensure that our centralized customer service functions are evolving with the changing needs of our business to support new services and options for our customers,” Sloat said.

“Under Peggy’s leadership, the PSO team achieved the highest customer satisfaction scores in PSO history in 2021 for both residential and commercial customers. They also obtained regulatory approval for PSO’s share of the transformational 1,484 megawatt North Central Energy Facilities wind projects. Peggy’s collaborative leadership style and deep industry knowledge will contribute to our ongoing success as we focus on providing more reliable, cleaner energy and innovative technology solutions to benefit our customers.”

Simmons has been president and COO of PSO since 2018. Previously, she was managing director of transmission asset strategy for AEP, manager of regulatory commodity sourcing for AEP Ohio, and manager of renewable energy in AEP’s competitive business. She joined AEP in 1999 as an energy trading scheduler in commercial operations.

Strahler has been vice president of Regulatory and Finance for AEP Texas since 2018. Previously, she was director of Business Operations Support for APCO. She joined AEP in 2006 as a senior cost control analyst in Generation Engineering Projects & Field Services and has served in a variety of roles including manager of Business Planning & Support Services and project manager/change agent for AEP’s Operations and Performance Transformation group.

Walker has been vice president of Distribution Operations for APCO since 2020. He previously served as plant manager of AEP’s Rockport Plant in Indiana. Walker joined AEP in 2005 as a process engineer and has served in a variety of roles including project & field engineering, project management, generation performance improvement and generation energy production superintendent.

Chris Beam has been named executive vice president, Energy Services, effective immediately. He will report to Sloat. Reporting to Beam will be:

• Paul Chodak, executive vice president, Generation
• Mike Granata, vice president, Safety & Health
• Shane Lies, senior vice president and Chief Nuclear Officer
• Craig Rhoades, vice president, Supply Chain, Procurement & Fleet Operations
• Toby Thomas, senior vice president, Energy Delivery

“Chris has extensive experience and proven success transforming organizations for the benefit of our customers. Under his leadership, the Appalachian Power team brought sustainable energy resources to West Virginia and Virginia to support economic development and bring new jobs, including the Nucor steel mill. They also spearheaded legislation to help deliver critical high-speed internet service to rural areas in both states,” Sloat said. “His commitment and success in helping our teams generate and deliver power as safely, efficiently and effectively as possible will benefit our customers as we continue to transform our generation fleet and modernize our transmission and distribution infrastructure.”

Beam has been president and COO of APCO since 2017. Previously, he served as vice president of Projects, Controls & Construction for Generation. He was managing director – Projects & Construction, from November 2010 to January 2013.

Greg Hall has been named executive vice president and chief commercial officer, effective immediately. Hall will continue reporting to Nick Akins, chair and chief executive officer, until Jan. 1, 2023, when he will report to Sloat. Reporting to Hall will be:

• Joel Jansen, senior vice president, Regulated Commercial Operations
• Tom Myers, senior vice president, Competitive Commercial Operations
• Scott Slisher, senior vice president, Competitive Customer Solutions
• Antonio Smyth, senior vice president, Grid Solutions
• Open position, Energy Assets

“Greg and his team have been delivering custom energy solutions in the competitive space, including renewable and distributed generation, while our grid solutions team has focused on developing critical infrastructure innovations and clean energy projects to benefit customers served by our regulated operating companies. Aligning these organizations under Greg will help us better leverage the experience and expertise across the company to advance new customer solutions and expand our energy offerings in all the states where we operate,” Sloat said.

Operations and Performance Transformation, led by Ashley Weaver, and Business Operations Performance Assurance, led by Dan Groff, will now report to Therace Risch, executive vice president and chief information & technology officer.

“Realigning these organizations under Therace’s leadership will put AEP’s organizational effectiveness initiatives within one organization to enhance efficiency and facilitate sharing of best practices, process improvements and effectiveness across the organization,” Sloat said.

The executive vice president and COO position is being eliminated. Lisa Barton will remain at AEP with transitional responsibilities, reporting to Nick Akins, until Nov. 1.

“On behalf of the Board and myself, I want to thank Lisa for her important contributions and leadership during her time at AEP. She brought a high level of energy and engagement to help transform strategic areas of our company, including our transmission business and renewable energy investments, and demonstrated a deep commitment to improving our culture and to serving our customers. Lisa’s efforts have enhanced our ability to provide safe, reliable and clean energy to power communities and build value for shareholders. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” Akins said.

Dirk Pauley is 53 years old and a grandfather. He’s worked for AEP since 1987. He has bad knees and while he played some sports in his youth, he says he’s an average athlete at best, and was “not a runner.”

So, of course, on Sept. 30 Pauley leaves for Hawaii to participate in the 2022 Ironman World Championship where he will swim 2.4 miles in the open ocean, bike 112 miles, then run a full marathon: 26.2 miles.

At some point in the past decade or so Pauley, a constructability lead for Energy Delivery in Ft. Wayne, Ind., transformed himself from a suburban dad who huffed and puffed just carrying laundry upstairs into one of the best triathletes in his age range thanks to unflagging tenacity and a well of grit deep enough to let him push through miles of pain.

“I’m blessed with something I don’t understand,” Pauley said, “but I never thought I would qualify for the Ironman World Championship.”

Pauley doesn’t expect to win in Hawaii, that’s not even really what he’s aiming for, but he admits that he’s very competitive by nature.

“I’m going to finish,” he said. “That’s goal number one.”

Pauley’s other goal is to raise awareness of and money for Pinky Swear, a foundation that supports families with children being treated for cancer. Pinky Swear helps families across the country by paying bills, buying groceries, and other means of financial support for families in need. He’s dedicated his race in Hawaii to two kids battling cancer, Autumn and Max.

Pauley credits his association with Pinky Swear for getting his results to the next level. There is a point in every Ironman competition, Pauley said, when quitting is the sane, rational thing to do.

“After a while on the bike (112 miles) you start questioning your life decisions and all you want to do is get off that bike,” Pauley said. “And when you do, all you have to do is then run a marathon. That’s when the mental game really starts. Once you hit that wall, you have to figure out how to finish.

“Those kids (the ones Pinky Swear supports) don’t get to quit, so I don’t quit. I can’t leave it undone.”

The Ironman World Championship is Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 in Kona, Hawaii, the western coast of the big island – AEP owns a wind farm on Maui, the next island to the northwest.

Pauley participates in the event on Oct. 6 in the men’s age 50-54 bracket. It will be the first time he will swim in the open ocean, which isn’t something he can simulate at home.

“The race is easy,” Pauley said, noting that the training leading up to the race is the real grind. “By the time you get to race day it is about executing a plan.”

AEP employees are known for making a difference in their communities in many ways, a tradition that continues through the AEP Making a Difference Grant program. AEP encourages active and/or retired employees to lead local projects benefitting their communities.

Special AEP mini grants of up to $300 are available to groups of active and/or retired employees who wish to organize projects in their communities to be conducted October through December. There must be at least five AEP active and/or retired employees directly involved in the proposed project to qualify for funding. Grant applications are due October 7, 2022.

As AEP strives to meet the 25% goal of AEP Employees volunteering within the community; the project must be listed as a volunteer opportunity, and individual and team volunteer hours need to be logged at the [AEP Caring Together] volunteer site.

AEP Making a Difference mini-grants are intended for projects that serve — or are in partnership with — a community group, a nonprofit organization, or a school. Projects meet local needs, and may be in the areas of education, hunger and housing, social and racial justice, the environment, health and safety, youth, or other basic community needs.

AEP-funded projects will be selected on the basis of:

• Geographic diversity of projects
• Alignment with the company’s giving focus on K-12 education with an emphasis on STEM education, social and racial justice, or basic human needs including food and shelter.
• Greatest number of people served or greatest need served
• Level of planning that indicates likelihood of success
• Partnership with others and leveraging other resources

Final determination of eligibility is reserved for American Electric Power.

How to apply:

Complete the on-line application form. Also, to comply with the AEP nondiscrimination policy below, the recipient organization must complete and return this nondiscrimination certification statement before the grant is issued.

Nondiscrimination Guideline
American Electric Power Company, Inc., its affiliates and the American Electric Power Foundation provide donations or grants only to organizations that do not, either through constitution or any written policy, discriminate against others on the basis of political affiliation, religious belief, age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, race or sexual orientation. Each organization applying for support must affirm in its funding request or the AEP or AEP Foundation on-line grant application that it does not discriminate in this manner.

Not too long ago, if you wanted to set up a conference call or book certain AEP meeting rooms, you picked up the phone and called someone.

That helpful voice on the other end of the line belonged to Sue Warner.

Warner passed away in July, still on the job, and helping people, after 40 years.

For many long-tenured employees, Warner was the voice of AEP. If you called corporate headquarters needing to talk to someone, she answered the call. Her knowledge of employees was so encyclopedic she could often connect you with the right person even if all you had was a first name and some vague idea of what they did for the company.

“Sue was a very special person,” said Dodie Saunders, former executive administrative assistant-senior. “I worked with her many times during my career at AEP. You could feel her smile through the phone and whatever you needed she made happen!”

Sloat will be the 11th president and 7th CEO of AEP.

AEP’s Board of Directors has appointed Julie Sloat as president and chief financial officer, effective immediately. She has also been elected chief executive officer effective Jan. 1, 2023. Sloat is AEP’s 11th president and will become the seventh CEO in the company’s 116-year history. She is currently executive vice president and CFO, a position she has held since Jan. 1, 2021.

Nick Akins, chairman, president and chief executive officer, is stepping down as president as part of AEP’s executive succession plan and will end his term as CEO Dec. 31. He will become executive chair of the AEP Board and will remain an officer and employee of the company. He has been president and CEO since 2011 and chairman since 2014.

“Julie is an exceptional leader who has successfully led key strategic areas for the company,” Akins said. “Her financial expertise and positive relationship with investors have been essential for the execution of our long-term strategy, enabling us to deliver strong earnings quarter after quarter while continuing to raise guidance and provide consistent dividend growth. Her deep understanding of our business and industry, including her experience leading AEP Ohio and our regulatory team, will be critical as we continue to invest in new energy resources and grid enhancements that improve service and reliability, support a clean energy future and provide value to our customers, communities and investors.

“Julie’s engaging leadership style also will continue to enhance AEP’s culture. She is committed to the success of our employees, customers and the communities we serve and is passionate about fostering positive, mutually beneficial relationships inside and outside the company,” Akins said.

“Nick has transformed AEP during the 11 years that he has led the company. His focus on innovation, technology, and modernization of the grid and AEP’s generation fleet is enabling clean, reliable and resilient energy to fuel growth in the communities that AEP serves. He also has built an open, collaborative culture that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Sara Martinez Tucker, lead director of AEP’s Board.

“AEP is fortunate that Nick has focused on developing a group of strong and capable leaders to ensure the company’s continued success. Julie has demonstrated exemplary leadership skills at every stage of her career, and we are confident in her ability to lead this team. During her time as CFO, she has improved the financial performance of the company, and she also enhanced the performance and culture of AEP Ohio during the transition to competitive markets. The Board is confident that she is the right person to lead AEP during this dynamic time for the industry and the company,” Tucker said.

There will be no immediate changes to reporting structure. Sloat will continue reporting to Akins and a new CFO will be named before Jan. 1.

“This is a time of tremendous change and opportunity for our company as we invest in new energy technologies and infrastructure to provide clean and reliable energy for our 5.5 million customers,” Sloat said. “It’s an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to lead this amazing team of nearly 17,000 employees. I’ve seen first-hand your commitment to innovation, to supporting the communities we serve and to ensuring that our customers can count on us every day to power their lives and businesses. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry and to build on the 116-year legacy of AEP.”

Sloat has been executive vice president – chief financial officer since Jan. 1, 2021.  She previously served as senior vice president, Treasury and Risk, and president and chief operating officer of AEP Ohio.

Sloat has held several additional key leadership positions since joining the company in 1999, including senior vice president and treasurer; vice president, Regulatory Case Management; vice president, Treasurer and Investor Relations; and vice president, Investor Relations, Strategic Initiatives and Economic Forecasting.

In addition to her AEP career, Sloat was vice president of Corporate Finance and Investor relations at Tween Brands, a bank debt underwriter and buy side equity analyst at Bank One (JP Morgan). She also worked for M&T Mortgage, a subsidiary of M&T Bank Corp.

Sloat has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Ohio State University. She completed the Nuclear Reactor Technology Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sloat serves on the board of directors for Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. and as the chair of the board of directors for the James Cancer Hospital Foundation. She also serves on the board of Ohio Valley Electric Corp. and Pelotonia.

In the summer of 1982, a soon-to-be constructed power plant in Hallsville, Texas, offered the promise of opportunity for 30 young men eager to make their mark in the world.

These men joined SWEPCO as apprentice machinists for the H.W. Pirkey Power Plant. Their job entailed repairing and maintaining plant equipment and structures, a trade they learned together as Pirkey was built.

The experience bonded them, and they came to rely on each other for advice, assistance, and encouragement. Forty years later, 12 of these original 30 apprentices will be on hand for the plant’s final operation on March 31, 2023.

“We’ve had a lot of fun and challenging times together,” said Brent Ogden, now the plant’s maintenance superintendent. “We’re one big family, and I know we’ll continue to be lifelong friends even after the plant closes.”

Ogden, who transferred to Turk Power Plant in 2010, planned to retire in March 2022 but reconsidered when he was offered the chance to return to Pirkey for its final year of operation.

“There were several reasons I chose to come back,” he said. “But a big part of it was being with the guys I started with when the plant shuts down.”

Franklin’s Follies

In the early days, the group came to be known as Franklin’s Follies, a nod to their supervisor and later VP of Generation Paul Franklin, who guided their training and first steps in the industry.

“That’s what everyone labeled us because he had to raise a bunch of kids,” Ogden said with a laugh. “I was the oldest at 22.”

Some had heard about the job through family friends while others learned about it in trade classes.

“I was in a class learning how to do industrial electrical wiring when a counselor came in and told us SWEPCO wanted to hire 30 people to send to college to be machinists,” said Wade Hicks, a station machinist. “I’d never stepped foot in a machine shop, but it sounded like something that could be a lifelong career.”

Their first two years on the job were spent in the classroom. The apprentices had on-the-job instruction at a training building on the plant site, as well as machine shop classes at Kilgore College, where they learned drafting and technical physics, among other things.

“We were required to maintain an 85 average in all our classes,” said Ben Craig, maintenance supervisor. “In the summer, we would tear apart old gas plant pumps and check clearances and learn how to do maintenance on them.”

That knowledge transferred to the plant in the fall of 1984 when they began to test the new equipment.

“It was exciting knowing that we were putting this thing online,” Ogden said. “We didn’t know what to expect. At first it was overwhelming to see all this big equipment and know we were going to have to maintain it. But the more we worked on it, the more it became a challenge we took pride in.”

Working together

One of the most memorable of those challenges was the time they repaired a low-pressure (LP) rotor on the steam turbine a few months after the plant began commercial operation.

“We immediately went into doing something that had been planned for the annual warranty inspection,” Craig said. “It was a scramble to get it done, but we were ready.”

He said the thing that made the experience so exciting was that the LP rotor – which rotates the turbine blades – had been off limits during their training days.

“Everyone was eager to tear into this thing because we couldn’t even get near it before,” he said.

Maintenance Supervisor Ricky Morris said they learned a lot from that repair, and it was an experience that helped them navigate future maintenance on LP rotors.

“We got where we could probably pull those blades off with our eyes closed,” he said.

But for Morris, the best memories occurred in the boiler.

He said a tube leak in the boiler could cause quite a bit of damage as it wasn’t detected until an operator heard it.

“Today, we’ve got acoustic monitoring systems that picks those up really quick, but back then, we relied on operators to hear them,” he said. “By the time you got in there, it was a pretty good size wreck, and we’d be in there for a week. It was hard work, but you’d carry on conversations, and we made a lot of good memories inside the boiler.”

Closing a chapter

Throughout the years, these men saw a lot of changes in not just plant maintenance but their own lives.

They started families, gained promotions, and celebrated milestones together over the years.

“Now, we’re the old dogs around the yard,” Craig said. “Not a day goes by that someone comes up with a question, and we say go ask Larry (Garrison), Keith (Bynum) or Ronnie (McBride). SWEPCO did a good a job of hiring good people. Looking back and knowing what we achieved together, it’s remarkable.”