Becky Blalock was named Southern Company senior vice president and chief information officer today. In this role Blalock will direct all aspects of Southern Company’s Information Resources function to provide support and guidance in maintenance, operations and application design for information technologies.

“Because of her vast management experience and her knowledge of our business, Becky is an excellent person to lead Information Resources. I am confident this ever-changing, highly technical and behind-the-scenes area of our company, on which we all depend each day to accomplish our work, will flourish under her leadership,” said Ed Holland, Southern Company executive vice president and general counsel.

Since joining Southern Company in 1978 in Georgia Power’s Accounting Management program, Blalock has developed broad management skills, holding positions in Regulatory Affairs, Accounting, Finance, Customer Service, Information Resources, Marketing and Corporate Communication.

Most recently, she was vice president of Georgia Power’s Community and Economic Development department, which consistently ranks among the top economic development organizations in the world. In this role, Blalock was responsible for marketing and positioning the company’s service territory in a global economy.

Blalock graduated from the State University of West Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She earned a master’s degree in finance with honors from Mercer University and also has successfully completed Harvard University’s Program for Management Development. She recently completed a year-long fellowship with the International Women’s Forum Leadership Foundation.

She is involved in leadership roles with many organizations in our community. Blalock serves on the boards of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, the Georgia Economic Developers Association, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and as a trustee with the State University of West Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Cities Foundation. Additionally, she serves on the advisory boards of Atlanta Woman Magazine and Mercer University.

Blalock will begin her new position Oct. 7, 2002.

With 4 million customers and nearly 37,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, a fast-growing competitive generation company, an energy services business and a competitive retail natural gas business, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are 15 percent below the national average. Southern Company has been named No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s 2002 “America’s Most Admired Companies” list in the Electric and Gas Utility industry. Southern Company has more than 500,000 shareholders, making its common stock one of the most widely held in the United States. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.