ATLANTA, Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southern Company President Thomas A. Fanning today announced two high-level executive moves, effective Jan. 1.

Susan N. Story, currently president and CEO of the company's Gulf Power subsidiary, has been named president and CEO of Southern Company Services and, in that role, will oversee numerous functional areas, including human resources, information technology, procurement and supply chain management, and marketing services, as well as the company's wireless subsidiary, SouthernLINC Wireless, among others.  

In addition, Story will oversee Southern Company's evolving strategy around the development and deployment of "smart" technologies.  She will take on a leadership role in the company's multiple efforts to deploy new and emerging technologies as it seeks to transform traditional generation sources, develop new renewable sources and enhance energy efficiency programs.  

Mark A. Crosswhite will succeed Story as president and CEO of Gulf Power, based in Pensacola, Fla. Gulf Power serves more than 400,000 customers along the Florida panhandle.  Crosswhite is currently executive vice president, external affairs, for Southern Company's Alabama Power subsidiary.

"Both Susan and Mark are representative of what makes our company so strong -- talented, experienced, versatile leaders who understand our business and bring an enthusiasm and vision to meeting the challenges ahead," said Fanning.

Since Story joined Southern Company in 1982 as a nuclear power plant engineer, she has served in numerous capacities with increasing responsibilities, including executive vice president, engineering and construction services, and vice president, supply chain management, at Southern Company, and vice president, real estate and corporate services at Alabama Power.  She was named Gulf Power CEO in 2003.

Story, 50, currently is on the Florida Board of Education, chairs the Florida Council of 100 and is immediate past chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, as well as past vice-chair of Enterprise Florida and chair of the Enterprise Florida Strategic Council.  She serves on the boards of Raymond James Financial, Inc., James Madison Institute and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, as well as on the Florida Judicial Nomination Commission.  Story has an industrial engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also has completed executive education programs at Duke University and Oxford University, along with international business studies at Cambridge University and leadership studies at Harvard University.

Crosswhite, 47, joined Southern Company in 2004 as senior vice president and general counsel for the company's generation organization.  He later was named senior vice president and general counsel for Alabama Power before moving into his current executive role in external affairs.  Prior to joining Southern Company, Crosswhite was a partner with the Balch & Bingham law firm in Birmingham, Ala.

Crosswhite serves on the board of directors for the Baptist Health Foundation, the University of Alabama School of Law Foundation and the Birmingham Business Alliance, as well as the board of the Laps for CF Foundation.  He also is a vice chair of the Electricity Committee of the Public Utility, Communications and Transportation section of the American Bar Association.  He is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Huntsville and earned his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.

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 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 website at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE Southern Company