Nick Akins is executive vice president – Generation for American Electric Power. AEP is one of the largest electric utility and generators of electricity in the U.S. He is responsible for all generation activities of AEP’s 38,000 MW fleet, including fossil and hydro generation; nuclear generation; engineering, project and field services; fuel, emissions and logistics, and business services.

Previously, he was president and chief operating officer for Southwestern Electric Power Company, serving approximately 439,000 customers in Louisiana, Arkansas and northeast Texas. Named to this position in 2004, he had authority for distribution operations and a wide range of customer and regulatory relationships.

Prior to this, Akins was vice president - energy marketing services, responsible for directing the activities of Market Development, including the transmission marketing and services functions, Energy Delivery External Affairs including community affairs, economic development, advocacy for regulatory and legislative positions within Energy Delivery. Additional responsibilities included the development and implementation of strategies for energy delivery related to AEP's entry into regional transmission organizations.

Akins was also vice president - industry restructuring for AEP responsible for enterprise-wide program management for restructuring initiatives in preparation for customer choice in AEP's various jurisdictions.

Previous to CSW's merger with AEP, he served in various director and manager roles including CSWS director - restructuring readiness, CSWS director - mergers and acquisitions, CSWS director - solid fuels, WTU director - fuels, and other positions within system dispatch operations, planning, and fuels.

He received a bachelor’s degree in 1982 in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1986 from Louisiana Tech. He has completed executive management programs at Louisiana State University, the University of Idaho and the Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Akins is a registered professional engineer in Texas and is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Texas Society of Professional Engineers, Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu Engineering Honor Societies. He presently serves as the co-chair of the Coal Utilization Research Council (CURC), and has served on the Board of Directors of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Shreveport Committee of One Hundred, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and the United Way of Northwest Louisiana, and the Louisiana Tech Engineering Foundation. He also serves on several subsidiary boards of AEP.