The Board of Directors of Southern Company today announced the election of Colette D. Honorable as an independent director, effective Oct. 1, 2020. Honorable will join the Business Security and Resiliency Committee, and the Finance Committee.

"Colette has extensive energy policy and regulation experience at the local, state and national level. Her knowledge will fortify Southern Company's position as a leader in the advancement of ideas and positions in the private and public arenas that are beneficial to customers, communities, employees and stockholders," said Southern Company chairman, president and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. "The addition to our board of someone of Colette's caliber is further evidence of the importance we place upon corporate governance, risk oversight, board refreshment, transparency and diversity."

Honorable currently is a partner at Reed Smith LLP where she is a member of the firm's Energy and Natural Resources Group and leads the energy regulatory practice. Based in Washington, DC, Honorable serves as chair of the office's Women's Initiative Network and is a member of the firm's Sustaining and Training African Americans business inclusion group.

Nominated by President Barack Obama in August 2014 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Honorable served as a FERC commissioner from Jan. 2015 to June 2017. Prior to joining FERC, Honorable joined the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) as a commissioner in Oct. 2007, served as interim chair in 2008, and led the PSC as chair from Jan. 2011 to Jan. 2015. During this time, Honorable focused the PSC on comprehensive energy efficiency programs and ensuring safe, reliable and affordable retail electric service. Honorable also served as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners from 2013 to 2014, becoming that organization's first African-American president.

Honorable's experience includes service in a number of state government executive roles, including chief of staff to the Arkansas Attorney General, a member of the governor's cabinet and as special judge of the Pulaski County Circuit Court.

Regarded as a thought leader across the global energy policy landscape, Honorable currently is a nonresident senior fellow with The Brookings Institution, a senior fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center, an ambassador for DOE Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative and serves on the global advisory board of Energy Futures Initiative.

A native of Arkansas, Honorable is a graduate of the University of Memphis and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, where she later served as an adjunct professor.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy company serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America, a leading distributed energy infrastructure company, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices below the national average. For more than a century, we have been building the future of energy and developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, advanced carbon capture technologies, natural gas, renewables, energy efficiency and storage technology. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation and a low-carbon future, Southern Company and its subsidiaries develop the customized energy solutions our customers and communities require to drive growth and prosperity. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and govern our business to the benefit of our world. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have been recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Defense, G.I. Jobs magazine, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, Fortune's "World's Most Admired Companies" list, Forbes and the Women's Choice Award. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.