Julie Sloat Becomes 11th President and 7th Chief Executive Officer

It’s more than a new year at American Electric Power, it’s a new era.

Julie Sloat became American Electric Power’s 11th president in 2022, and today she is the 116-plus year old company’s seventh chief executive officer. CEO is a fairly new position to AEP (and its predecessor, American Gas & Electric), with Donald Cook the first to carry the title in 1961. Sloat is the first woman to lead AEP.

After AGE was incorporated on Dec. 20, 1906, several people shared leadership of the new company. Millard Humstone was elected president and Brigham Curtis was named chairman of the board. They held their respective positions on an interim basis for 25 days, then resigned. Permanent officers were elected Jan. 15, 1907.

From 1907 to 1910, AGE was led by the triumvirate of Henry Doherty, Sidney Mitchell and Richard Breed. Mitchell was in charge of financing, Doherty handled engineering and operations, and Breed was responsible for the company’s franchising.

Breed was president from 1910 to 1923, and chairman from 1923 to 1926.

In 1923, George Tidd took over as president until his tenure ended in 1947; he was chairman from 1947 to 1949.

Philip Sporn succeeded Tidd as president from 1947 to 1961.

Cook became president and chief executive officer of the company in 1961, retaining the position of president until 1972 (he was president and chairman from 1971 to 1972, and chairman only until 1976). George Patterson was president from 1972 to 1977.

W.S. “Pete” White Jr. served as chairman and CEO from 1976 to 1991; he continued as chairman until 1992. Richard Disbrow was elected president of the company in 1979; he was named president and CEO in 1991, and was named chairman and CEO in 1992.

Dr. Linn Draper, Jr., became president in 1992, and succeeded Disbrow as chairman and CEO in 1993, serving in all three positions until 2003. Michael Morris became chairman, president, and CEO on Jan. 1, 2004.

On Jan. 1, 2011, Nicholas Akins was elected president; he became chief executive officer on Nov. 12, 2011. He remains executive chairman of the board of directors.

Sources: And There Was Light: The Story of American Electric Power, Its First 85 Years — 1906-1991, by William W. Corbitt, 1991; American Electric Power: A Century of Firsts, by Luke Feck, 2006; AEP Now: [AEP History].

Photo caption: AEP’s top leadership over the years (top row, left to right): Richard Breed, George Tidd, Philip Sporn, Donald Cook; (second row, left to right): Pete White, Richard Disbrow, Linn Draper, Mike Morris; (bottom row, left to right): Nick Akins, Julie Sloat.