Portrait

Thomas A. Fanning, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Company

Director Highlights

Mr. Fanning’s qualifications include public company CEO experience and electric and natural gas industry knowledge and experience, including nuclear and new technology matters, cybersecurity matters, environmental matters and governmental affairs and financial expertise. His deep knowledge of the Company, based on 40 years of service, as well as his civic participation on a local and national level, are valuable to the Board.

Age: 64

Director since: 2010

Board committees: None

Other public company directorships: Vulcan Materials Company (formerly a Director of The St. Joe Company)

  • Mr. Fanning has held numerous leadership positions across the Southern Company system during his 40 years with the Company. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company from 2008 to 2010, leading the Company’s generation and transmission, engineering and construction services, research and environmental affairs, system planning and competitive generation business units. He served as the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2003 to 2008, where he was responsible for the Company’s accounting, finance, tax, investor relations, treasury and risk management functions. In those roles, he also served as the chief risk officer and had responsibility for corporate strategy.
  • He serves as the co-chair of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, which serves as the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power sector to protect the integrity of the national electric grid. His leadership in the cybersecurity area was recognized by the U.S. Senate in 2019 with an appointment to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a group developing a protection strategy for the cyberspace interests of the United States.
  • Mr. Fanning is a Director of Vulcan Materials Company, serving as a member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. He served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 2012 to 2018 and is a past chairman.
  • He also served on the Board of Directors for the St. Joe Company, a real estate developer and asset manager, from 2005 to 2011.
Portrait

Janaki Akella, Digital Transformation Leader (Google LLC) multinational technology company specializing in internet-related products

Director Highlights

Dr. Akella’s qualifications include electrical engineering experience and knowledge, global business technology, data and analytics expertise and cybersecurity matters knowledge. Her understanding and involvement with technology market disruptions is particularly valuable to the Board as the Southern Company system continues to develop innovative business strategies.

Age: 60

Director since: 2019

Board committees: Operations, Environmental and Safety; Business Security and Resiliency

Other public company directorships: None

  • Dr. Akella serves as the Digital Transformation Leader of Google LLC, a position she has held since 2017. At Google, Dr. Akella addresses challenges and complex technical issues arising from new technologies and new business models.
  • Prior to joining Google, Dr. Akella held a number of leadership positions during a 17-year career at McKinsey & Company, where she most recently served as principal. She led and contributed to over 100 consulting engagements in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America with multiple project teams and client executives. She began her career with Hewlett-Packard as a member of the system technology technical staff, engineer scientist and technical contributor.
  • She previously served on the Boards of the Guindy College of Engineering North American Alumni and the Churchill Club.
Portrait

Juanita Powell Baranco, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Baranco Automotive Group, large retailer of new and used high-end automobiles

Director Highlights

Ms. Baranco’s qualifications include senior leadership experience and governmental affairs knowledge and experience as well as risk management experience and deep operations experience as a successful business owner and operator. Her legal knowledge and background as a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia and her knowledge of our business from almost a decade of service on the Board of Directors of Georgia Power are also valuable to the Board.

Age: 72

Director since: 2006

Board committee: Audit; Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility

Other public company directorships: None (formerly a Director of Cox Radio, Inc., John H. Harland Company and Georgia Power)

  • Ms. Baranco had a successful legal career, which included serving as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia, before she cofounded the first Baranco automobile dealership in Atlanta in 1978.
  • She served as a Director of Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of the Company, from 1997 to 2006. During her tenure on the Georgia Power Board, she served as Chair of the Controls and Compliance Committee (formerly known as the Audit Committee) and as a member of the Diversity, Executive and Nuclear Operations Overview Committees.
  • She served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Board for a number of years and also on the Boards of Directors of John H. Harland Company and Cox Radio, Inc.
  • An active leader in the Atlanta community, she serves on the Board of the Commerce Club, the Woodruff Arts Center and the Buckhead Coalition. She is past Chair of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia and past Board Chair for the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia, and she previously served on the Board of Trustees for Clark Atlanta University and on the Advisory Council for the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia. Ms. Baranco is also active in the Women Energy Directors Network, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (Atlanta chapter) and the International Women’s Forum.
Portrait

Henry A. “Hal” Clark III, Senior Advisor of Evercore Inc. (retired), global independent investment advisory firm

Director Highlights

Mr. Clark’s qualifications include finance and capital allocation knowledge and experience, risk management experience, mergers and acquisitions experience and investment advisory experience specific to the power and utilities industries. The skills Mr. Clark developed with his extensive involvement in strategic mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions are particularly valuable to the Board as the Southern Company system continues to finance major capital projects.

Age: 71

Director since: 2009

Board committee: Audit

Other public company directorships: None

  • Mr. Clark was a Senior Advisor with Evercore Inc. (formerly Evercore Partners Inc.) from August 2011 until his retirement in December 2016. As a Senior Advisor, Mr. Clark was primarily focused on expanding advisory activities in North America with a particular focus on the power and utilities sectors.
  • With more than 40 years of experience in the global financial and the utility industries, Mr. Clark brings a wealth of experience in finance and risk management to his role as a Director.
  • Prior to joining Evercore, Mr. Clark was Group Chairman of Global Power and Utilities at Citigroup, Inc. from 2001 to 2009. He joined Lexicon Partners, LLC in July 2009, which Evercore Partners subsequently acquired in August 2011.
  • His work experience includes numerous capital markets transactions of debt, equity, bank loans, convertible securities and securitization, as well as advice in connection with mergers and acquisitions. He also has served as policy advisor to numerous clients on capital structure, cost of capital, dividend strategies and various financing strategies.
  • He has served as Chair of the Wall Street Advisory Group of the Edison Electric Institute.
Portrait

Anthony F. “Tony” Earley, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, PG&E Corporation (retired), public utility holding company providing natural gas and electric services

Director Highlights

Mr. Earley’s qualifications include public company CEO experience and energy industry expertise including nuclear regulation, generation and technology, as well as cybersecurity matters, environmental matters and major capital projects. His experience as the president and chief executive officer of energy companies and his involvement in electric industry-wide research and development programs are valuable to the Board.

Age: 71

Director since: 2019

Board committee: Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility (Chair); Operations, Environmental and Safety

Other public company directorships: Ford Motor Company (formerly a Director of DTE Energy and PG&E Corporation)

  • Mr. Earley served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of PG&E Corporation from 2011 until February 2017, when he became Executive Chairman. He served as Executive Chairman until his retirement from PG&E in December 2017. On January 29, 2019, PG&E Corporation and its subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric Company filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code as a result of wildfire claims in California.
  • Before joining PG&E Corporation, he served in several executive leadership roles during 17 years at DTE Energy, including Executive Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer. He served in various executive roles at Long Island Lighting Company, including President and Chief Operating Officer. He was also a partner at the Hunton & Williams LLP law firm (now Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP) as a member of the energy and environmental team, where he participated in the licensing of both nuclear and non-nuclear generating plants and represented nuclear utilities in rulemaking actions before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  • Prior to beginning his lengthy career in the utility industry, Mr. Earley earned a degree in physics and served in the U.S. Navy as an officer on the nuclear submarine, USS Hawkbill.
  • Mr. Earley is a member of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company and serves as Lead Outside Director and on the Compensation (chairman), the Nominating and Governance and the Sustainability and Innovation Committees. He previously served on the Board of Directors of DTE Energy, PG&E Corporation, Comerica Incorporated, Masco Corporation and Long Island Lighting Company.
  • He previously served on the executive committees of the Edison Electric Institute and the Nuclear Energy Institute and served on the Board of the Electric Power Research Institute.
Portrait

David J. Grain, Lead Independent Director
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Grain Management, LLC (Grain Management), private equity firm specializing in the communications industry

Director Highlights

Mr. Grain’s qualifications include capital allocation expertise, financial expertise, major capital projects knowledge and experience, technology innovations knowledge and experience and risk management experience. Mr. Grain’s knowledge and involvement managing large and small businesses and raising and managing investor capital, particularly in a regulated industry, is also valuable to the Board.

Age: 58

Director since: 2012

Board committee: Finance; Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility

Other public company directorships: New Fortress Energy LLC

  • Mr. Grain is the Chief Executive Officer of Grain Management, a private equity firm focused on global investments in the media and communications sectors, which he founded in 2006. With headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in New York City, New York and Sarasota, Florida, the firm manages capital for a number of the country’s leading academic endowments, public pension funds and foundations.
  • Mr. Grain also founded and was Chief Executive Officer of Grain Communications Group, Inc.
  • Prior to founding Grain Management, he served as President of Global Signal, Inc., Senior Vice President of AT&T Broadband’s New England Region and Executive Director in the High Yield Finance Department at Morgan Stanley.
  • Mr. Grain was appointed by President Obama in 2011 to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council.
  • He previously served as Chairman of the Florida State Board of Administration Investment Advisory Council as an appointee of former Governor Charlie Crist, where he provided independent oversight of the state board’s funds and major investment responsibilities, including investments for the Florida Retirement System programs.
  • Mr. Grain is a Director of New Fortress Energy LLC, serving as a member of the Audit Committee.
  • He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, serves on the Investment Committee of the United States Tennis Association and is a Trustee of the Brookings Institution.
Portrait

Colette D. Honorable, Partner at Reed Smith LLP (law firm)

Partner at Reed Smith LLP (law firm) and former commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an independent U.S. federal agency that regulates the wholesale sale of electricity, natural gas and oil in interstate commerce and reviews and licenses projects in the energy market

Director Highlights

Ms. Honorable’s qualifications include extensive energy policy and regulatory experience as a highly regarded thought leader and legal practitioner in the domestic and international energy sectors. Her legal experience along with her leadership and deep industry expertise demonstrated as a former FERC Commissioner, past Chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission and past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners are all valuable to our Board.

Age: 51

Director since: 2020

Board committee: Business Security and Resiliency; Finance

Other public company directorships: None

  • Ms. Honorable serves as a Partner at Reed Smith LLC, where she is a member of the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Group and leads the energy regulatory practice. Based in Washington, D.C., Honorable serves as chair of the office’s Women’s Initiative Network and is a member of the firm’s Sustaining and Training African Americans business inclusion group.
  • Nominated by President Barack Obama in August 2014 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Ms. Honorable served as a FERC commissioner from January 2015 to June 2017. Prior to joining FERC, she joined the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) as a commissioner in 2007, served as interim chair in 2008 and led the PSC as chair from January 2011 to January 2015.
  • Ms. Honorable served as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners from 2013 to 2014, becoming that organization’s first African American president.
  • Her experience includes service in several state government executive roles, including chief of staff to the Arkansas Attorney General, a member of the Governor’s cabinet and a special judge of the Pulaski County Circuit Court.
  • Ms. Honorable is a senior fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center, an ambassador for the Department of Energy Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative and serves on the global advisory board of Energy Futures Initiative.
Portrait

Donald M. James, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Materials Company (retired), producer of aggregate and aggregate-based construction materials

Director Highlights

Mr. James’ qualifications include public company CEO experience, a legal background as a former public company general counsel and an understanding of corporate governance, risk management, major capital projects and environmental matters. Mr. James brings important perspectives on management, operations and strategy from his experience as the former chief executive officer of a public company.

Age: 72

Director since: 1999

Board committee: Compensation and Management Succession; Finance

Other public company directorships: Wells Fargo & Company (formerly a Director of Vulcan Materials Company and Protective Life Corporation)

  • Mr. James joined Vulcan Materials Company in 1992 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. He next became President of the Southern Division, followed by Senior Vice President of the Construction Materials Group, and then President and Chief Operating Officer. In 1997, he was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. James retired from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Materials Company in July 2014 and Executive Chairman in January 2015. He retired in December 2015 as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vulcan Materials Company.
  • Prior to joining Vulcan Materials Company, Mr. James was a partner at the law firm of Bradley, Arant, Rose & White for 10 years.
  • Mr. James serves on the Finance, the Governance and Nominating (Chair) and the Human Resources Committees of Wells Fargo & Company’s Board of Directors. He is a former director of SouthTrust Corporation and Wachovia Corporation.
  • Mr. James is a Trustee of Children’s of Alabama, where he serves on the Executive Committee and the Compensation Committee.
Portrait

John D. Johns, Chairman of DLI North America Inc., (retired), the oversight company for Protective Life Corporation (Protective Life), provider of financial services through insurance and investment products

Director Highlights

Mr. Johns’ qualifications include public company CEO experience, financial expertise, capital allocation experience and risk management experience in a highly-regulated industry. His legal background as the former general counsel of a large energy public holding company that included natural gas operations and his prior service for over a decade on the Board of Directors of Alabama Power are also of significant value to the Board.

Age: 69

Director since: 2015

Board committee: Compensation and Management Succession (Chair); Finance

Other public company directorships: Genuine Parts Company and Regions Financial Corporation (formerly a Director of Protective Life Corporation and Alabama Power)

  • Mr. Johns retired in 2020 as Chairman, DLI North America Inc.
  • He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Protective Life from 2002 to 2017 and President from 2002 to January 2016. He joined Protective Life in 1993 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
  • Before his tenure at Protective Life, Mr. Johns served as general counsel of Sonat, Inc., a diversified energy company.
  • Prior to joining Sonat, Inc., Mr. Johns was a founding partner of the law firm Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.
  • He previously served on the Board of Directors of Alabama Power from 2004 to 2015. During his tenure on the Alabama Power Board, he was a member of the Nominating and Executive Committees.
  • He is a member of the Boards of Directors of Regions Financial Corporation, where he is Chairman of the Risk Committee and a member of the Executive Committee, and Genuine Parts Company, where he serves as Lead Independent Director and chairs the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee and the Executive Committee. He is a former director of Protective Life Corporation.
  • Mr. Johns has served on the Executive Committee of the Financial Services Roundtable in Washington, D.C. and is a past chairman of the American Council of Life Insurers.
  • Mr. Johns has served as the Chairman of the Business Council of Alabama, the Birmingham Business Alliance, the Greater Alabama Council, Boy Scouts of America and Innovation Depot, Alabama’s leading business and technology incubator.
Portrait

Dale E. Klein, Associate Vice Chancellor of Research of the University of Texas System and former Commissioner and Chairman, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, federal agency responsible for regulation of nuclear reactor materials and safety

Director Highlights

Dr. Klein’s qualifications include expertise in nuclear energy research, regulation, safety and technology, as well as experience in environmental matters and governmental affairs. His senior leadership skills demonstrated as the Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission are also important to the Board.

Age: 73

Director since: 2010

Board committee: Compensation and Management Succession; Operations, Environmental and Safety (Chair); Business Security and Resiliency

Other public company directorships: Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and Arizona Public Service Company

  • Dr. Klein was Commissioner from 2009 to 2010 and Chairman from 2006 through 2009 of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He also served as Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs from 2001 through 2006.
  • Dr. Klein has more than 40 years of experience in the nuclear energy industry.
  • Dr. Klein began his career at the University of Texas in 1977 as a professor of mechanical engineering, which included a focus on the university’s nuclear program. He spent 33 years in various teaching and leadership positions, including Director of the nuclear engineering teaching laboratory, Associate Dean for research and administration in the College of Engineering and Vice Chancellor for special engineering programs.
  • He serves on the Audit and Nuclear and Operating Committees of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, an Arizona energy company, and is a member of the Board of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation’s principal subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Company.
Portrait

Ernest J. Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems Emeritus, Special Advisor to the President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and former U.S. Secretary of Energy

Director Highlights

Dr. Moniz’s qualifications include senior leadership experience, energy industry experience, nuclear expertise and cybersecurity matters knowledge. Having served as U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dr. Moniz brings key insights about energy and environmental regulation and policy. His current roles in academia and as the leader of nonprofit energy industry organizations allow him to contribute up-to-date perspectives on clean energy, climate change, environmental matters and national security.

Age: 76

Director since: 2018

Board committee: Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility; Operations, Environmental and Safety; Business Security and Resiliency (Chair)

Other public company directorships: None

  • Dr. Moniz is an American nuclear physicist who served as the 13th U.S. Secretary of Energy from May 2013 until January 2017. Dr. Moniz engaged regularly with issues related to energy regulation and policy, environmental regulation and policy and greenhouse gas emissions.
  • He also serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Energy Futures Initiative, Inc. (EFI) and Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, positions he has held since June 2017. EFI is a non-profit organization providing analytically-based, unbiased policy options to advance a cleaner, safer, more affordable and more secure energy future. The Nuclear Threat Initiative is a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to protect lives, livelihoods and the environment from nuclear, biological, radiological, chemical and cyber dangers.
  • Dr. Moniz’s involvement in national energy policy began in 1995, when he served as Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President.
  • He later oversaw the U.S. Department of Energy’s science, energy and security programs as Under Secretary from 1997 to 2001.
  • He was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology from 2009 to 2013 and received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award in 2016.
  • Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Energy, he had a career spanning four decades at MIT, during which he was head of the MIT Department of Physics from 1991 to 1995 and in 1997, and he was the Founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative and Director of the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. Since January 2017, Dr. Moniz has served as the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems Emeritus and Special Advisor to the President of MIT.
  • Dr. Moniz is also a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center and the inaugural Distinguished Fellow of the Emerson Collective.
  • Dr. Moniz served on the U.S. Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee and the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. He also is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Clean Energy Venture Fund and the Lime Rock New Energy Fund, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Humboldt Foundation and the American Physical Society. He has been honored by the governments of Cyprus, Portugal and Japan.
Portrait

William G. Smith, Jr., Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capital City Bank Group, Inc., publicly-traded financial holding company providing a full range of banking services

Director Highlights

Mr. Smith’s qualifications include public company CEO experience, finance and capital allocation expertise, risk management expertise and audit and financial reporting experience. Mr. Smith contributes valuable perspectives on management, operations and regulatory compliance from his experience as the chief executive officer of a public company in a highly-regulated industry.

Age: 67

Director since: 2006

Lead Independent Director: 2012-2014

Board committee: Audit (Chair)

Other public company directorships: Capital City Bank Group, Inc.

  • Mr. Smith began his career at Capital City Bank in 1978, where he worked in a number of positions of increasing responsibility before being elected President and Chief Executive Officer of Capital City Bank Group, Inc. in January 1989. He was elected Chairman of the Board of the Capital City Bank Group, Inc. in 2003. He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capital City Bank.
  • He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
  • Mr. Smith is the former Federal Advisory Council Representative for the Sixth District of the Federal Reserve System and past Chair of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce.
Portrait

Kristine L. Svinicki, Former Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and University of Michigan Adjunct Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences in the College of Engineering

Director Highlights

Ms. Svinicki is an internationally recognized policy expert and innovator with over 30 years of distinguished public service and has a demonstrated record of devising solutions to the most complex public policy challenges facing today’s global nuclear enterprise. Her leadership skills as the former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and her expertise as a nuclear engineer and policy advisor are valuable to our Board.

Age: 55

Director since: 2021

Board committee: Business Security and Resiliency; Operations, Environmental and Safety

Other public company directorships: None

  • Ms. Svinicki was appointed a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by three U.S. presidents, becoming that organization’s longest-serving member. She became a member of the NRC in 2008 and served as chairman of the NRC from 2017 until 2021.
  • Ms. Svinicki has decades of public service experience with a distinguished career as a nuclear engineer and policy advisor, working at the state and federal levels of government, and in both the legislative and executive branches.
  • Ms. Svinicki spent over a decade as a staff member in the U.S. Senate working on issues related to national security; science and technology; and energy and the environment. She also served as a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee where she was responsible for that committee's portfolio of defense science and technology programs and policies, and for the atomic energy defense activities of the U.S. Department of Energy, including nuclear weapons, nuclear security and environmental programs.
  • Ms. Svinicki previously worked as a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Department of Energy's Washington, D.C. Offices of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, and of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, as well as its Idaho Operations Office, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Prior that, Ms. Svinicki was an energy engineer with the State of Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in Madison, Wisconsin.
  • Ms. Svinicki currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. She is a longstanding member of the American Nuclear Society and the Society has twice honored her with its Presidential Citation in recognition of her contributions to the nuclear energy policies of the U.S.
Portrait

E. Jenner Wood III, Corporate Executive Vice President – Wholesale Banking, SunTrust Banks, Inc. (retired), publicly-traded company providing a full range of financial services

Director Highlights

Mr. Wood’s qualifications include senior leadership experience as well as finance, banking and risk management knowledge and understanding. With his familiarity and knowledge gained from 10 years of service as a former member of the Board of Directors of Georgia Power, he contributes key perspectives on our operations and strategic imperatives.

Age: 69

Director since: 2012

Board committee: Finance (Chair); Compensation and Management Succession

Other public company directorships: Genuine Parts Company and Oxford Industries, Inc. (formerly a Director of Crawford & Company and Georgia Power)

  • Mr. Wood served as Corporate Executive Vice President – Wholesale Banking of SunTrust Banks, Inc. from October 2015 until his retirement in December 2016. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Division of SunTrust Bank from 2001 to 2015. He began his career with SunTrust Banks, Inc. in 1975 and advanced through various management positions including Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Georgia/North Florida Division and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of SunTrust’s Central Group with responsibility over Georgia and Tennessee.
  • He served as a member of the Board of Georgia Power from 2002 until May 2012. During his tenure on the Georgia Power Board, he served as Chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Compensation and Executive Committees. He also served as a Director of Crawford & Company, a large independent claims company, from 1997 to 2013.
  • Mr. Wood is a Director of Oxford Industries, Inc., where he serves as Lead Director and a member of the Executive Committee, and a Director of Genuine Parts Company, where he serves on the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee.
  • He is active in numerous civic and community organizations, serving as Chairman of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation and the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. Mr. Wood also serves as a Trustee of the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation and Chairman of the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation. In addition, he serves on the Board of Trustees of Emory University and is the past Chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Role of the Lead Independent Director

The Lead Independent Director role at Southern is robust, with the following key authorities and responsibilities:

  • Working with the Chairman to set the agenda for Board meetings
  • Approving the agenda (with the ability to add agenda items) and schedule for Board meetings to provide that there is sufficient time for discussion of all agenda items
  • Approving information sent to the Board
  • Chairing executive sessions of the non-management Directors, which are included on the agenda of every regular board meeting, and having the ability to call an executive session
  • Chairing Board meetings in the absence of the Chairman
  • Meeting regularly with the Chairman
  • Acting as the principal liaison between the Chairman and the non-management Directors (although every Director has direct and complete access to the Chairman at any time)
  • Serving as the primary contact Director for stockholders and other interested parties
  • Communicating any sensitive issues to the Directors
  • Overseeing the independent Directors’ performance evaluation of the Chairman, in conjunction with the chair of the Compensation and Management Succession Committee

The Lead Independent Director is elected by the independent Directors of the Board to serve in the role for a period of generally two to three years. The Board’s succession planning process includes the regular review of the skills, qualifications, attributes and experiences of the independent Directors to identify potential future candidates for the Lead Independent Director role.

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