ATLANTA, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southern Company announced today that Carrie Kurlander has been named vice president, communications, effective immediately. In her new role, Kurlander will oversee the company's external and internal communication initiatives.

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"Carrie brings experience, knowledge and a unique perspective to the position, which is of great value as our company and our industry face challenging times," said Chris Womack, executive vice president and president, external affairs, Southern Company. "We're excited about Carrie joining our team. She's proven how well she understands what it takes to produce strong, effective communication."

Kurlander currently is assistant to the president and CEO of Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, based in Birmingham, Alabama. She joined the company in 2003 as director of corporate communications. Kurlander previously worked as a publicist in California, as the governor's press secretary in Alabama and as an anchor and reporter for television stations in Alabama and Louisiana, where her efforts earned her numerous honors for news reporting.

"A critical part of our business success is timely, effective communication to the investment community, the media, our customers, our shareholders and employees," said David Ratcliffe, Southern Company chairman, president and CEO. "Carrie will be instrumental in guiding that effort for Southern Company and in supporting our subsidiary companies."

In addition to her responsibilities at Alabama Power, Kurlander has been active in the Birmingham community where she is on the executive committees for the Lakeshore Foundation, Impact Alabama and KidOne. She also currently serves on the boards of directors for The Women's Fund and Virginia Samford Theatre.

Kurlander was a member of the 2007-08 Leadership Birmingham Class, participated in the Alabama Leadership Initiative and was named "Top 40 Under 40" by the Birmingham Business Journal.

A native of Dothan, Alabama, Kurlander is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management Executive Development Program. She is married to Brian Kurlander, and they have two children.

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, 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 below the national average. Southern Company is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE Southern Company

SOURCE: Southern Company

Web site: http://www.southerncompany.com/