COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 28, 2007 – American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has been named one of the top 30 companies for women executives by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), which is affiliated with Working Mother Media.

Honored corporations were selected based on their programs and policies that support women’s advancement and on female representation among senior management and on boards of directors.

AEP is one of 20 corporations NAFE described as “the best of the rest” of the candidate companies, ranking behind “top-10” firms Aetna, Allstate Insurance Co., Colgate-Palmolive Co., Gannett Co., General Mills, IBM Corp., Liz Claiborne, Marriott International, MetLife and Patagonia.

“AEP has made great strides in its efforts to attract and retain women in executive-level positions,” said Gen Tuchow, AEP’s vice president – Human Resources, who accepted an award on the company’s behalf at a NAFE luncheon program in New York today. “We are pleased to be recognized by NAFE for the important role women play as leaders at AEP and as contributors to the company’s success.”

Sixteen percent of corporate officers and 15 percent of board members at America’s largest companies are women, according to NAFE.

Women account for 15 percent of AEP’s board of directors. Two of the company’s executive vice presidents and two of its utility unit presidents and chief operating officers are women.

Last year, Working Mother magazine recognized AEP as one of the top 12 companies for women of color. In 2002 and 2004, the publication named AEP one of the 100 best companies for working mothers.


American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 36,000 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. AEP’s utility units operate as 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 and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.