Gulfport, Miss. – Mississippi Power Vice President of Generation and Senior Production Officer Allen Reaves announced today that Kathy Russell has been selected to succeed Herman Williams as the plant manager at Plant Watson

Russell, currently the plant manager at Plant Branch in Milledgeville, Ga., has more than 33 years of experience with Southern Company Generation.

She began her career with Southern Company at Plant Hatch in Baxley, Ga., in 1981 and held several instrumentation and controls positions at plants Hatch and McManus in Brunswick, Ga.,  before transitioning into key leadership positions at generating facilities across Southern Company.

“Kathy is an accomplished, proven leader,” Reaves said. “I have the utmost confidence in her to lead the Watson team through the upcoming fuel switch and beyond.

Russell led Branch through the decommissioning process in advance of compliance with pending EPA regulations and will now lead Watson in the transition to an all-natural gas facility.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to join the team in Gulfport,” Russell said. “Plant Watson’s been serving Mississippi Power customers since the 1950s and will continue to provide reliable service for years to come.”

Russell earned an associate’s degree in Electronic Technology before receiving her bachelors of Business Administration from Valdosta State in 1998 and a master’s degree from Georgia State University in 2001.

Herman Williams is retiring after 35 years of dedicated service to Mississippi Power and its customers.

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power’s been recognized throughout the utility industry for excellence in storm restoration and recovery efforts and as a leader in safety. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.