COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 31, 2000 – Susan Tomasky, general counsel and senior vice president - legal for American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), has been elected executive vice president by the company's board of directors, according to E. Linn Draper Jr., AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. Tomasky, 46, retains the title of general counsel, along with responsibility for the company's legal policy, strategies and compliance. As part of the company’s senior management team, Tomasky reports to Draper. "Since she joined AEP in 1998, Susan has been an integral part of our management team, providing valuable input and guidance on decisions important to the success of our company," Draper said. "With her broad skills and deep experience in energy policy, she will play a vital role as we complete our pending merger and face the many challenges brought by the transition to a competitive electricity marketplace." Prior to joining AEP in 1998, Tomasky was a partner with the Washington, D.C., office of Hogan & Hartson in the firm's Energy Group. Her practice focused on regulatory issues and strategic planning for companies doing business in domestic and international electricity and natural gas markets. She specialized in federal requirements affecting asset acquisitions and realignments and new project development in the natural gas and electricity industries. Tomasky served as general counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from May 1993 to August 1997. In that capacity, she was a primary legal and policy advisor to the commission in the development of a broad range of policy initiatives to promote competition in U.S. electricity and natural gas markets. She was centrally involved in FERC's groundbreaking open access transmission rulemaking (Order No. 888), and in the development of standards used by the commission to evaluate mergers and assets dispositions involving electric utilities. From 1981 to 1993, Tomasky was in private practice, specializing in energy and environmental matters. She was a staff attorney at FERC from 1979 to 1981. Tomasky , a Morgantown, W.Va., native, holds a juris doctor degree with honors earned in 1979 from George Washington University National Law Center where she was a member of the Law Review. She is also a 1974 graduate of the University of Kentucky. AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West Corp., a public utility holding company based in Dallas.