ATLANTA, Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IDG's Computerworld has selected Stan Hoptroff, director of infrastructure services for Southern Company, as one of the magazine's Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2013. Each year, the publication spotlights award-winning leaders from both the technology and business sides of companies for their exceptional technology leadership, innovative ideas to business challenges and effective management of IT strategies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080801/SOCOLOGO )

"Stan is a respected leader across Southern Company and is truly deserving of recognition as being among the best in his field," said Southern Company Chief Information Officer Kenneth Coleman.

Through his 30-year career with Southern Company, Hoptroff has provided leadership to several information technology organizations, including computer operations, data engineering, client services, e-commerce strategy, financial planning and application development and maintenance. He currently leads the efforts of 255 employees in overseeing mainframe, storage, telecommunications and other technology infrastructure.

Hoptroff holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Kennesaw State University and a master's of science in technology management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also attended the Center for Creative Leadership's "Leadership Development Program" and Wharton's "Integrating Finance and Strategy for Value Creation."

The Premier 100 awards ceremony will be one of the highlights of Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference March 3-5 in Tucson, Ariz. Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference involves companies across all industries, as well as government and educational organizations. Recipients are selected based on Computerworld's IT Leadership Index, a set of characteristics that describes executives who guide the effective use of IT in their organizations. The magazine's editors and a panel of outside judges also evaluate nominees through their answers to questions on a range of topics, including their backgrounds, work experiences, special accomplishments and leadership styles.

With 4.4 million customers and more than 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable 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 energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company is leading the nation's nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and is demonstrating its commitment to energy innovation through development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer and listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks. The company received the 2012 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Platts' 2011 Power Company of the Year and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

SOURCE Southern Company