- Tim Pearson will manage state
and local regulatory and government relations, and community
affairs
- Mike Callahan will become senior vice president and
treasurer
GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 16,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today announced that
Tim Pearson will become South Carolina state president, effective
Nov. 1. He will succeed Mike Callahan, who has been promoted to senior
vice president and treasurer of the company following the
retirement of Karl Newlin.
Pearson, 42, will manage state and local regulatory and
government relations in South
Carolina. He will work closely with the corporate and
regulatory strategy team to advance legislative, rate and
regulatory initiatives in the state. His team also leads community
relations and infrastructure engagement for Duke Energy across the
Palmetto State.
"Tim has a unique set of skills that are critical to how we
address challenges facing the utility industry in new ways in
South Carolina," said Lynn Good, chair and CEO of Duke Energy. "He is
well-positioned to lead the conversation and collaboration with our
stakeholders and policy makers to deliver on the state's needs as
we work to build a smarter energy future for the Palmetto
State."
Pearson, who was a valuable part of the Duke Energy team first
as an advisor and consultant, joined the company full time as vice
president of government affairs in 2023. In that expanded role,
Pearson has been integral in advancing the conversation around
energy policy that is taking place in South Carolina.
A resident of Columbia, Pearson
lives with his wife Ashton, daughter Myers and son Wills. He has
more than a decade of experience in government and policy in
South Carolina. Before joining
Duke Energy, Pearson served as an advisor to multiple governors in
the state, most recently as general consultant for Henry McMaster's successful campaigns in 2018
and 2022. He served as chief of staff for Nikki Haley during her tenure as governor, and
as executive director of her transition team. He also served as
Mark Sanford's senior communications
advisor.
Callahan, 49, will return to the financial side of the
corporation after leading the company's efforts in South Carolina for the past five years as
state president. Prior to that, he was vice president of investor
relations, overseeing Duke Energy's investor relations and
shareholder services organizations. He also served as director of
regulated utilities forecasting for Duke Energy, where he was
responsible for preparing and consolidating regulated utility
forecasts to support financial planning and strategic
decision-making activities. Callahan joined Duke Energy in
2002.
"I am proud of the many accomplishments Mike and his team have
achieved in South Carolina," said
Julie Janson, executive vice
president and CEO for Duke Energy Carolinas. "Over the past five
years, he spearheaded Duke Energy's efforts to support communities
and customers during the pandemic. He also guided critical
grassroots community relations initiatives and helped lead company
engagement with numerous state and local organizations during storm
restoration efforts, including most recently when Helene battered
the state."
Tigerron "Tiger" Wells, 45, currently state government affairs
director, will succeed Pearson as vice president of government
affairs and will manage the company's legislative strategy in
South Carolina. A South Carolina lawyer and former partner with
the law firm of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, Tiger was a litigator for
a decade before branching out to the Municipal Association of
South Carolina government affairs
team. For the past five years, Tiger has played a critical role in
the company's lobbying efforts at the State House and has advanced
the legislative and regulatory interests of Duke Energy before
various South Carolina
governmental bodies.
Also reporting to Pearson will be Heather Shirley Smith, vice president of
regulatory and policy who will continue to focus on regulatory
matters and policy enactment and Rick
Jiran, vice president of government and community relations
and infrastructure engagement, who will continue his role focused
on local government relations, community relations and new
infrastructure stakeholder engagement.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of
America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric
utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and
the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook,
and visit illumination for stories about the people and
innovations powering our energy transition.
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-names-new-state-president-for-south-carolina-302277949.html
SOURCE Duke Energy