AEP Ohio President & COO Names New Leadership Team

GAHANNA, Ohio - AEP Ohio, an American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) company, has announced a new leadership team under President and Chief Operating Officer Marc Reitter.

Ryan Forbes has been named vice president, Distribution Operations. He succeeds Tom Kratt, who retired in January. Forbes is responsible for the construction, engineering, grid modernization, maintenance and operations of AEP Ohio's electric distribution system, which serves 1.5 million customers in Ohio.

Forbes previously served as director, Distribution Engineering, and led the engineering, project design, reliability, business operations and technical functions for the distribution system. This included system reliability performance and leadership oversight for AEP Ohio's distribution asset management strategies. Forbes has been with AEP since 2007, joining AEP Ohio in June 2020 as director of Project Management, Vegetation Management and Contractor Management.

Lisa Kelso has taken on the newly elevated position of vice president, Customer Experience. She is replacing Jon Williams, who recently retired. Kelso oversees AEP Ohio's customer service functions including account management, community relations and customer program offerings.

Kelso's previous roles at AEP Ohio included vice president, Regulatory and Finance, and director, Regulatory Services. Since joining AEP in 2008, she has held management positions in AEP's Transmission Asset Strategy and Business Planning organizations and also worked in Audit Services.

Matt McKenzie has been named vice president, Regulatory and Finance. He is responsible for AEP Ohio's financial and regulatory strategic plans, including financial investments, technical direction on regulatory policy, state filing requirements and retail electric tariffs.

McKenzie worked in AEP's legal department from 2014 to 2021, representing AEP operating companies including AEP Ohio and Indiana Michigan Power. From 2021-2024, McKenzie continued to serve AEP Ohio, working as a private attorney and a key member of the company's regulatory team.

"These changes to our leadership team demonstrate our ongoing commitment to serving our customers," said Reitter. "In order to continue to evolve as a business and navigate the changing utility industry, forward-thinking leaders like Ryan, Lisa and Matt will be key to our success. This marks a new chapter at AEP Ohio and furthers our mission of providing reliable service to the communities we serve."

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About AEP Ohio

AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. AEP Ohio provides electricity to 1.5 million customers. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is powering a cleaner, brighter energy future for its customers and communities. AEP's approximately 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to safely deliver reliable and affordable power to 5.6 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with nearly 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 5,800 megawatts of renewable energy. The company's plans include growing its regulated renewable generation portfolio to approximately 50% of total capacity by 2032. AEP is on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and has committed to achieving net zero by 2045. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on sustainability, community engagement, and diversity, equity 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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