CHARLOTTE, NC - Duke Energy's board of directors today elected John T. Herron, CEO, president and chief nuclear officer of Jackson, Miss.-based Entergy Nuclear, as a new board member, effective March 1, 2013.
Herron, who will retire from Entergy on March 31, 2013, becomes the 16th board member at the nation's largest electric utility.
"John Herron brings 34 years of utility industry experience to our board," said Duke Energy lead director Ann Gray. "His deep knowledge and insight, gained at a variety of nuclear energy facilities over more than three decades, will be a valuable asset to our board and company."
In his current role, Herron oversees Entergy's nuclear plants in New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, as well as the company's management services at the Cooper Nuclear Station in Nebraska.
He previously served as Entergy's senior vice president for nuclear operations.
Herron joined Entergy in 2001 as vice president of operations at Waterford 3 Nuclear Station in Louisiana.
He began his career in nuclear operations in 1979 at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp., and has held positions at Cooper Nuclear Station, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in Tennessee, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama and Indian Point Energy Center in New York.
Prior to his utility career, he served in the U.S. Navy for six years and taught at the Navy's Nuclear Submarine Prototype School.
Herron also has served on the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations' board of directors.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States with more than $100 billion in total assets. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.1 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operatediverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.