November 7, 2018 - Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), an American Electric Power company (NYSE: AEP), has named Drew Seidel vice president of Distribution Operations. Seidel currently is the manager of Welsh Power Plant in Pittsburg, Texas.
Seidel, 49, will have responsibility for the electric distribution system, engineering, operations, construction and maintenance for SWEPCO’s more than 535,000 customers in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. He succeeds Malcolm Smoak, who was named president and chief operating officer of SWEPCO in May 2018.
“Drew is a proven leader in AEP Generation. His commitment to safety and operational excellence will benefit SWEPCO’s employees and customers,” Smoak said.
Seidel has been Welsh plant manager since 2016. Previously he served as plant manager of SWEPCO’s H.W. Pirkey Power Plant in Hallsville, Texas; energy production superintendent at Welsh Plant; and plant manager at Knox Lee Power Plant in Longview, Texas. Seidel first joined West Texas Utilities Co. (WTU) in 1992 and later served as plant manager at Central Power and Light Co.’s (CPL) Victoria Power Station in Victoria, Texas. WTU and CPL were sister companies of SWEPCO in the Central and South West system prior to its merger with American Electric Power in 2000.
Seidel earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He completed the AEP Strategic Leadership Program at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.
