COLUMBUS,
Ohio, May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) has named Chris Brathwaite vice president and chief
communications officer, effective today. He will report to
Phil Ulrich, executive vice
president and chief human resources officer.
Brathwaite will have responsibility for enterprise-wide employee
and external communications, reputation management, policy
communications, marketing, brand management, digital
communications, social media, analytics and creative services.
"Chris brings to AEP an extensive career and
track record of leading effective communications strategies for
large and complex organizations," Ulrich said. "His expertise in
public relations and internal and executive communications in
several industries will help us connect effectively with customers,
employees and other key stakeholders. We welcome him to the team as
we share AEP's story and advance our efforts to deliver reliable,
affordable energy to the communities we serve."
"AEP is at the forefront of shaping the future of energy, and
I'm thrilled to join a talented team committed to providing the
service our customers and communities count on," Brathwaite said.
"As the energy industry continues to change, our communications and
marketing teams have a unique opportunity to engage our customers,
employees and investors and share AEP's plans to invest in new
technologies and infrastructure to power growth in our service
territory."
Brathwaite most recently served as senior vice president and
chief communications officer of Tenneco, a global automotive
components manufacturer. Prior to joining Tenneco in 2018, he held
roles of increasing responsibility with Sears Holdings Corporation,
including vice president of corporate communications, divisional
vice president of corporate public relations and director of
corporate public relations. Brathwaite also served as manager of
media relations for United Airlines and held roles in media
relations and external affairs for State Farm Insurance. He began
his career as a news reporter and anchor for WJBC/WBNQ radio in
Illinois.
Brathwaite earned his bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism
from Bradley University. He is vice
chair of the Commission on Public Relations Education and a member
of the Arthur W. Page Society.
At American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, we understand that our
customers and communities depend on safe, reliable and affordable
power. Our nearly 17,000 employees operate and maintain more than
40,000 miles of transmission lines, the nation's largest electric
transmission system, and more than 225,000 miles of distribution
lines to deliver power to 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP
also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with
approximately 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity,
including nearly 6,000 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP is
investing $43 billion over the next
five years to make the electric grid cleaner and more reliable. We
are on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
from 2005 levels by 2030 and have a goal to achieve net zero by
2045. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on
sustainability, community engagement and inclusion. AEP's family of
companies includes utilities 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, east Texas and the Texas
Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides
innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more
information, visit aep.com.
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SOURCE American Electric Power
