From staff and wire reports
Alabama Power President and CEO Mark Crosswhite is retiring December 31, the company announced Monday.
A new president was not publicly named. Crosswhite has headed the company, which powers approximately 1.5 million customers in Alabama, for more than eight years, and his work with him and related companies dates back approximately 35 years.
In a written statement, Crosswhite, a Decatur native, said that leading Alabama Power was a highlight of his career.
“It has been an honor to work for a company that has dedicated more than a century to serving communities throughout Alabama,” he said. “However, as I approach my 60th birthday, I’ve realized it’s time for me to spend more time with my family.”
Alabama Power is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company.
“Mark has spent his life serving in his home state of Alabama by serving the numerous charitable, civic and community causes that he serves,” said Tom Fanning, Southern Company’s president and CEO, in the statement. “As the leader of the Alabama Power Company, one of Alabama’s great corporate institutions, he carried that sense of service with him every day as he worked to improve the lives of customers, communities and colleagues.”
In the statement, Crosswhite was credited with working with employees from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and in the construction industry to continue Alabama Power’s labor management partnership and overseeing the company’s cultural council, which focuses on “inclusion and fairness for all employees.” focused. ”
He also ran Prosper, an initiative in Birmingham to invest in economic opportunities.
Gov. Kay Ivey praised Crosswhite’s tenure in a Twitter post.
“Mark was a lion in the Alabama business community,” Ivey said. “He transformed our electrical grid through the use of fiber optics, provided critical leadership in preparing Alabama for tomorrow’s innovation economy, and I’m proud to call him my friend.”
In a statement, Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, praised Crosswhite.
“Mr. Crosswhite has fostered strong labor management partnerships, promoted racial equity, encouraged innovation and provided a vision for the implementation of future energy solutions,” Daniels said. “Because of Mr. Crosswhite’s efforts, Alabama Power will be a collaborative partner in creating a solid and responsible energy policies that will continue to benefit everyone in our state.”
Crosswhite was previously Chief Operating Officer for Southern Company and President and CEO of Gulf Power in Florida. His career with Southern Company began in 2004 and before that he represented the company as an attorney in private practice for 17 years.