The Alabama Power board of directors has elected Patrick Murphy as vice president with responsibility for Economic and Community Development. Murphy succeeds Ken Novak, who has been named vice president with responsibility for the company’s Southeast Division.

“Patrick has been a key player in recruiting business and bringing jobs to the state,” said Mark Crosswhite, chairman, president and CEO of Alabama Power. “His experience, knowledge and skills are a tremendous asset to us and to the state’s overall economic development efforts.

“Ken has built a great legacy of economic development successes, and his leadership skills will be of great value to the company in his new role in our Southeast Division,” Crosswhite added. 

Murphy most recently served as manager of the company’s Economic and Community Development department, which is responsible for recruitment of companies to the state, and for company programs that support Alabama community efforts to compete more effectively for business and industry.

Murphy joined the company in 2011 as a senior project manager in the Economic and Community Development department. Before coming to Alabama Power, he served as senior vice president of economic development for the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA), where he led all economic development recruiting, business retention and expansion efforts in the seven-county Birmingham metropolitan area.

Prior to the BBA, Murphy served as vice president of the Birmingham-area Metropolitan Development Board, where he focused on external recruitment, area business development and project management. Murphy also worked as a site location consultant and real estate broker for the Hart Corporation in Atlanta and as a project manager for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Novak was elected a vice president at Alabama Power in 2011 with responsibility for Economic and Community Development. Prior to his election, Novak served as manager of Economic and Community Development for the company. He has over 34 years of experience in the company and over 23 years of economic development experience.

Novak began his career with Alabama Power in 1981 as junior engineer in Birmingham. He progressed through supervisory and management positions in the Construction department and in the company’s headquarters before joining the Economic and Community Development department.

Novak has worked with companies across various industry sectors including automotive, aerospace, plastics, metal fabrication, steel, chemical, distribution and food processing.

In his new position, Novak will be responsible for company operations in Southeast Division, based in Eufaula. The division comprises all or part of 14 counties in the southeast area of the state.

Novak has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Alabama and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He serves on the board of The Aerospace Alliance and Japan-America Society of Alabama.  He also served on the board and is a past president of the Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA), and served on the board of the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) and the Alabama Germany Partnership.

Murphy is a graduate of Auburn University, with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He sits on the boards of directors for EDAA, ACE and on the BBVA Compass Advisory Board.       

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), provides reliable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers at a total retail price that has been below the national average for decades. Learn more at www.alabamapower.com.