Columbus, Ohio, United States, March 2025 – American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) has named Puesh M. Kumar as Vice President of National Security and Resilience, effective April 9, 2025. Kumar will report to Emily Duncan, Senior Vice President of Federal Affairs, and will be based in the company’s Washington, D.C. office.
Kumar will be responsible for leading AEP’s engagement with federal agencies, state, local, territorial, and tribal (SLTT) communities, and other industry partners on national security, cybersecurity, and grid resilience issues facing the electric sector.
“A resilient grid is essential to the integrity and strength of our communities, the economy and national security,” said Bill Fehrman, President and Chief Executive Officer, AEP. “Puesh brings to this role deep industry experience and demonstrated expertise in energy security planning. We welcome him to the team to continue shaping important stakeholder relationships and policy strategy to create the grid of the future.”
Kumar currently serves as the Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). In this role, he has led a team focused on the security and resilience of electricity, oil, and natural gas systems across the U.S. His contributions include representing DOE on National Security Council interagency policy committees, working with states on energy security planning, managing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, directing emergency response efforts, and briefing Congressional committees on sector-specific threats. He has also engaged in bilateral and multilateral energy resilience collaborations globally.
With over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, Kumar has also held positions at Southern California Edison, the American Public Power Association, and Memphis Light, Gas, and Water. His expertise spans grid modernization, reliability, cybersecurity, resource adequacy, artificial intelligence, and supply chain security. Kumar holds a degree in electric engineering with a focus on power systems.
About AEP
Our team at American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) is committed to improving our customers’ lives with reliable, affordable power. We are investing $54 billion from 2025 through 2029 to enhance service and support the growing energy needs of our communities. With nearly 16,000 employees, AEP operates and maintains the nation’s largest electric transmission system with 40,000 line miles and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines, delivering power to 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity.
AEP’s family of companies includes AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power, Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company. AEP also owns AEP Energy, offering innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. The company is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
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