Gulf Power Company is getting a new president.

Susan Story, who has served as Gulf Power President and CEO since 2003, has been named President and CEO of Southern Company Services in Atlanta. She will be succeeded by Mark A. Crosswhite who 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,” said Tom Fanning, Southern Company President. “Talented, experienced, versatile leaders who understand our business and bring an enthusiasm and vision to meeting the challenges ahead.”

Crosswhite, who becomes Gulf Power’s 15^th president, 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 Balch & Bingham law firm in Birmingham, Ala.

Crosswhite serves on the board of directors for 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 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.

In her new role, Story will oversee numerous areas, including human resources, information technology, procurement, marketing services and the company’s wireless subsidiary, SouthernLINC. Story will also be responsible for 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. 

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. 

Story 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 Enterprise Florida Strategic Council. She serves on the boards of Raymond James Financial, Inc., James Madison Institute, the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.

She 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.

The leadership transition will become effective on Jan. 1.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 428,000 customers in 10 counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely deliver affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible energy to very satisfied customers in strong communities.