CHARLESTON, W.Va. –American Electric Power announced Tuesday they have named Brian Abraham as the next president and chief operating officer of Appalachian Power to help the company continue its strategy to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders across its service.
“Our focus in West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee is to partner with legislators, regulators, and community leaders to develop state-focused solutions that balance their energy priorities with reliability and affordability,” AEP chairman Bill Fehrman said. “Brian’s legal and public policy expertise, deep commitment to Appalachia and established partnerships within the region will bring a fresh prospective. We are confident Brian is the right choice to lead the nearly 2,900 employees in APCo’s territory and to collaborate with our valued stakeholders.”
He will succeed Aaron Walker who will now serve as vice president of Engineering and Quality, Nuclear Development.
Abraham currently serves as the chief of staff for U.S. Senator Jim Justice. He was appointed to the role during Justice’s second term as West Virginia’s governor.
Justice posted his reaction to X Tuesday evening saying “Congrats to my Chief of Staff, Brian, on this new role at AEP. Brian has been a rock on my team. Working alongside him as Governor and now as Senator was a privilege. I’m proud to say our friendship goes far beyond the office-I’ll always be in his corner,”
Prior to being appointed as Justice’s chief of staff, Abraham also served as the prosecuting attorney for Logan County, a position he held from 1999 to 2009. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fairmont State University, a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College and a Juris Doctor from West Virginia University.
He is also a U.S. Army veteran and recently retired as brigadier general after 22 years of service.
Abraham will start his new role on April 13.