Alan Martin has been named vice president for human resources at The Southern Company, directing the company’s staffing, compensation and benefits, and organizational effectiveness functions and Southern Company College, the utility’s employee training organization.

The Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the parent firm of five electric utilities: Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, and Savannah Electric. Other subsidiaries include Southern Electric International, Southern Company Services, Southern Communications Services, Southern Nuclear, and Southern Development and Investment Group. The Southern Company’s common stock is one of the 20 most widely held corporate stocks in America.

Martin, 46, who has been serving as vice president of Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division, succeeds Bill Archer, who has been named senior vice president for external affairs at Georgia Power.

Martin joined The Southern Company in 1972 as a right-of-way agent at Alabama Power. He held a number of staff and management positions at Alabama Power, including vice president for marketing. A Birmingham native, Martin holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Martin is a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce and is campaign chairman for the 1995 Central Alabama United Way campaign. He also serves on the board of Junior Achievement, the executive advisory council at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and has held various offices with the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Development Board and Operation New Birmingham.

“Alan Martin’s broad experience in many aspects of the electric utility business gives him a unique understanding of the human resources needs across our company as we adapt to the changes that increasing competition is bringing to our marketplace,” said A.W. Dahlberg, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of The Southern Company.