Southern Company announced that Chris Womack, President of Georgia Power., has succeeded Paul Bowers as Chairman, President and CEO of Georgia Power. Bowers’ retired in April 2021.
Womack will lead Georgia Power in serving its 2.6 million customers across the state. He will be responsible for the company’s customer service, economic development, generation, transmission, distribution, energy efficiency, charitable giving and volunteerism efforts. He’ll also lead the company in storm response, environmental efforts and more.
“Chris is a pillar of the community and his depth of experience in the energy industry, generation, public policy, governmental and regulatory affairs, and the state will be incredibly valuable as the company works to continue providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy for millions of Georgians. More importantly, Chris leads with a passion for people. The company, its employees and its customers are in good hands,” said Tom Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company.
“It’s an exciting time to be back at Georgia Power, especially when we’re poised to make history with the first new nuclear units in the U.S. in decades,” said Womack. “This company has an incredible legacy of delivering world-class customer service and reliability to Georgians, while also being a leader in the communities it serves. It is an honor to be able to come back and be a part of the wonderful team of people at Georgia Power and help continue their great work.”
Serving as executive vice president and president of External Affairs for Southern Company since 2009, Womack has led overall external positioning and branding efforts including the company’s public policy strategies and overseen the company’s governmental and regulatory affairs, corporate communication initiatives and other external and strategic business engagements.
He joined Southern Company in 1988 and has held several leadership positions within the company and its subsidiaries, serving as executive vice president of external affairs at Georgia Power and senior vice president and senior production officer of Southern Company Generation, where he was responsible for coal, gas, and hydro generation for Georgia Power and Savannah Electric. Womack also served as senior vice president of human resources and chief people officer at Southern Company, as well as senior vice president of public relations and corporate services at Alabama Power. Prior to joining Southern Company, Womack worked for the U.S. House of Representatives for then-Congressman Leon E. Panetta.
Womack is a member of the board of directors of Essential Utilities, Inc. He currently chairs the board of the East Lake Foundation, is on the national board of The First Tee and is the incoming chair of the board for the Alliance to Save Energy. Womack has chaired the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau board and the Atlanta Sports Council. He has also chaired the board for Communities in Schools of Georgia and served as a member of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta board. He has received numerous honors, including the SCLC Leadership Award (1998).
A native of Greenville, Alabama, Womack holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from The American University. He completed the Stanford Executive Program and is a member of the Leadership Atlanta class of 2000 and the Leadership Birmingham class of 1990.
