Alabama Power Company Chairman, President and CEO Mark Crosswhite made his first visit to a UAB Collat School of Business class when he was the speaker at the combined undergraduate capstone and MBA class, “Strategic Leadership Through the Eyes of the C-Suite,” on Oct. 6. Crosswhite was named CEO in 2013.

Pictured left to right: Dean Eric Jack, Brandon Casebolt, Miriam Semaan, Trey Brown, Mark Crosswhite, Kelly McAninch, Michael Sheppard, Jared Varden. (contributed)

Reflecting on his own career, Crosswhite gave students some career advice: “Have a major,” and ”be prepared to turn left.” Crosswhite’s “major” was electric utility regulation, and was earned in 17 years as a lawyer at a Birmingham-based law firm that represents Alabama Power and its affiliated companies. He joined Southern Company in his capacity as a lawyer, but after several different legal roles was asked by Alabama Power’s CEO to “make a left turn” and take over non-legal responsibilities as the head of External Affairs for that company. Several other senior management positions followed, including CEO of Gulf Power in Pensacola, Florida, and chief operating officer of Southern Company.

Crosswhite described for students the strategic decision facing Alabama Power as to how best to generate electricity for its customers. He acknowledged that the company has had to confront the “brutal fact” that it is increasingly difficult to use coal to generate electricity, even though it is in abundant supply in Alabama. He told students that the company expects it will use more natural gas and “renewables” such as wind and solar.

Crosswhite told students that as CEO, he strives to keep Alabama Power focused on the following five goals: (1) safety; (2) customers; (3) employees; (4) economic development; and (5) community engagement.

A group of students who had studied the strategy of Southern Company and Alabama Power made a presentation to Crosswhite. The students told him that based on their research, they agreed that the company should be using more natural gas to generate power, while at the same time using more renewable sources.

Also attending this week’s class was former Alabama Power Vice President of Human Resources and Ethics Donna D. Smith. She is founder and president of a new organization called The Alabama Leadership Project, which is designed to educate aspiring business leaders in effective leadership.

The parent company of Alabama Power, Southern Company, is the leading electric energy company serving the Southeast, with over 4.4 million customers. In addition to Alabama Power, Southern Company also owns Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power. Southern Company operates three nuclear generating plans, and is building the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans. Alabama Power has 1.4 million customers. Southern Company recently announced that it was purchasing AGL Resources, parent of Atlanta Gas Light, which will make it the second largest utility in the country based on customer numbers.

Alabama Power employs many current students in the Collat School of Business, and has more alumni of the school’s MBA program than any other employer.

“Strategic Leadership Through the Eyes of the C-Suite” is taught by Collat School of Business professor Stephen Yoder, and features visits from members of the executive suites of public or other large, complex organizations who discuss their organizations’ strategies and how they are developed and implemented.