Charleston, W.Va., May 13, 2010 – Charles Patton, 50, has been named president and chief operating officer of Appalachian Power, according to Michael G. Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Appalachian Power parent company American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP). Patton will succeed Dana Waldo, 59, who is retiring from the company May 31.
 
Patton also temporarily will oversee the operations of AEP’s Kentucky Power operating company until a replacement is named for Tim Mosher, the company’s current president and chief operating officer, who is retiring July 31. Mosher’s replacement will report to Patton.
 
Patton has been executive vice president – AEP Utilities West since October 2009, responsible for the distribution and customer service operations of AEP’s utility operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Previously, he was senior vice president – Regulatory and Public Policy. From 2004 to 2008, Patton was president and chief operating officer for AEP Texas. From 2002 to 2004, Patton was vice president of governmental affairs for AEP in Texas. He joined Central and South West Corp. (CSW) in 1995 as director of state government affairs. Prior to joining CSW, Patton spent nearly 11 years in the energy and telecommunications business. Patton received a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and a master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas in Austin.
 
“Charles has demonstrated skills in leading our utility operations, and I know his experience will serve us well as we continue to manage the impact of the struggling economy and maintain our commitment to providing reliable, reasonably priced electricity service to our customers,” Morris said.
 
Waldo has served as Appalachian Power President and COO since 2004. In his more than 25 years with AEP, Waldo held various accounting, financial forecasting and operational positions, including AEP state president in West Virginia, vice president of Appalachian Power and president and COO of AEP’s Wheeling Power operating company. He was president and CEO of the West Virginia Roundtable before returning to AEP as Appalachian Power president.
 
Waldo has served on the board of directors of Advantage Valley, the Business and Industrial Development Corporation of Kanawha Valley, the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the West Virginia Manufacturers Association. He also served as a trustee of the University of Charleston and as a member of the visiting committee of the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. In 1998, Governor Underwood appointed him to the West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development.
 
“Dana has made significant contributions to AEP during his many years with the company, and we wish him continued success as he begins a new chapter in his life,” Morris said.
 
Appalachian Power has almost 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers 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.