ATLANTA – Southern Company’s board of directors today elected Donald M. James to join the board. James, 50, is chairman and chief executive officer of Vulcan Materials Company in Birmingham, Ala.

James joined Vulcan Materials in 1992 as senior vice president and general counsel. He was named president and chief operating officer in 1996, and he became the company’s chairman and chief executive officer in 1997.

Before joining Vulcan Materials, James was a partner at the Birmingham law firm of Bradley, Arant, Rose & White. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration degree from the University of Alabama. He earned his law degree in 1977 at the University of Virginia.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an international energy company that operates more than 48,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity worldwide. It is the largest producer of electricity in the United States and one of the world’s largest independent power producers. Southern Company subsidiaries and their affiliates serve 12 million retail customers worldwide and millions more through the wholesale market. Based in Atlanta, Southern Company is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric.

Through its Southern Energy Inc. subsidiary, Southern Company has operations in 12 countries on five continents and has a growing presence in North America with assets in the Northeast, the Midwest, California and Texas. Southern Company also provides energy-related marketing, trading and technical services in the United States and Europe and offers Southern LINC wireless telecommunications.

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is the largest producer of construction aggregates in the United States. Vulcan’s principal product, crushed stone, is used in virtually all forms of construction. It is one of the nation’s leading producers of chemicals and other construction materials.