Press release
AEP NAMES FOWKE, VON THAER TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Martinez Tucker named lead director COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben Fowke, former chairman of Xcel Energy, and Lewis "Lou" Von Thaer,
About this update from American Electric Power Company, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Martinez Tucker named lead director\n\n\nCOLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben Fowke, former chairman of Xcel Energy, and Lewis \"Lou\" Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute, have been elected to the American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) Board of Directors.\n\"Ben and Lou bring valuable experience in energy transformation, energy policy, technology and security to our board as we continue to make progress on our strategy to provide cleaner energy and a smarter, more resilient and more reliable system for our customers,\" said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. \n\"Ben has been a visionary leader in our industry and delivered strong results for Xcel shareholders while managing Xcel's aggressive transition to clean energy resources. He has expertise in navigating the unique regulatory and public policy issues that impact investor-owned utilities and a strong background in finance, financial reporting and shareholder outreach,\" Akins said. \n\"Lou leads the world's largest independent research and development organization and has experience in global research, manufacturing and extensive governmental experience. He also has expertise in cyber and national security issues. We welcome Ben's and Lou's engagement and insights as part of our board,\" Akins said. \nAEP also named Sara Martinez Tucker lead director following the resignation of Steve Rasmussen from the board for personal reasons. \n\"I want to sincerely thank Steve for his significant contributions during the decade that he has been on our board. His experience and insights have been extremely valuable, and we wish him all the best,\" Akins said. \n\"Sara already has taken a leadership role on our board and chairs our Human Resources Committee. Her experience on other corporate boards and her executive positions in education, government and the highly regulated telecommunications industry have brought incredibly valuable perspectives to AEP. We're very excited to have her take on this role,\" Akins said. \nFowke, 63, was chairman and CEO of Xcel for more than a decade until his retirement as CEO in August 2021. He remained executive chairman of the Xcel board until December 2021. Fowke held a variety of leadership roles at Xcel including chief operating officer and chief financial officer. He also was ...