The Alabama Power board of directors has elected Jim Heilbron senior vice president and senior production officer for Alabama Power, effective March 1. 

Heilbron will have responsibility over the company’s generation functions, including Alabama Power’s fossil and hydro plants. He comes to Alabama Power from sister company Southern Power, where he serves as senior vice president and senior production officer. He succeeds Ted McCullough, who will become executive vice president of Southern Company engineering and construction services.

“Jim’s experience in numerous generation-related roles and his focus on safety and reliability make him a strong addition to Alabama Power’s leadership team,” said Charles McCrary, Alabama Power president and CEO.

At Southern Power, Heilbron has overseen the operation of natural gas, solar and biomass facilities that serve the wholesale market. He joined Georgia Power in 1998 as a plant engineer and was named plant manager at Georgia Power’s Plant Wansley in 2006. He also has served as plant manager of Southern Power’s Plant Franklin in east Alabama. Previously, Heilbron worked at a number of facilities in various roles, including maintenance, operations and large project management. Prior to joining Southern Company, Heilbron worked for Milliken & Company as a production manager.

A Florida native, Heilbron is a graduate of Auburn University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in civil/environmental engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering. He completed a master’s in business administration at Emory University in 2001. He has been involved in various community organizations and serves on the board of the Alabama Power/Southern Company Academic Excellence Program at Auburn University. He also is an active member at Liberty Crossings United Methodist Church in Vestavia Hills.  

Heilbron and his wife, Markell, live in Vestavia Hills with their two children.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.