Personnel Note: Alabama Power’s John Hudson, Jeff Peoples taking leadership roles at Southern Company Gas
Two long-standing Alabama Power executives have been named to new roles of increased responsibility within the Southern Company system. John Hudson [Photo Credit: Alabama Newscenter] John Hudson has been named executive vice president and chief external and public affairs officer at Southern Company Gas. In his new role, Hudson will be responsible for External Affairs, Corporate Communication, Marketing, Community Relations, Economic Development and Environmental Affairs. He also will serve as president of the Southern Company Gas Foundation and will be responsible for the company’s and its subsidiaries’ philanthropy and volunteerism efforts. Jeff Peoples [Photo Credit: Alabama Newscenter] In addition to leading Alabama Power’s Human Resources organization, Jeff Peoples has been named executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Southern Company Gas. In his expanded role, Peoples will be responsible for Human Resources, Labor Relations, Environmental Health and Safety, Technical Training and Corporate Services for all Southern Company Gas businesses. He also will serve as president of AGL Services Company, providing a single point of contact for the organizations that are directed by Southern Company Services – specifically the Technology Organization, Supply Chain, Fleet, Facilities and Compensation and Benefits. He will retain responsibilities for Human Resources, Labor and Safety at Alabama Power, as well as his recently announced system HR role in which he has responsibility for external labor. Hudson and Peoples will begin their new roles Sept. 1. “John has made great contributions to not only Alabama Power, but throughout the entire state, and I am certain he will have continued success at Southern Company Gas,” said Mark Crosswhite. “Jeff is recognized nationally as a leader in building and sustaining positive external labor relations and this expanded role will allow him to bring his expertise to additional business units within Southern Company. The leadership they will provide in these roles is a positive move forward for the entire system.” Southern Company Gas is based in Atlanta. [Photo Credit: file/Alabama Newscenter) Hudson currently serves as senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development at Alabama Power. He joined Alabama Power in 1996 and was elected vice president of Public Relations in 2010 and later took on additional responsibilities over Charitable Giving. He also served as president of the Alabama Power Foundation. Hudson previously served as senior vice president of Corporate Diversity and Public Affairs for Regions Financial Corporation. A licensed attorney, Hudson practiced law at the Hudson Law Firm. Prior to practicing law, he served Alabama Power as an area manager in the Birmingham Division and as assistant to the president. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Alabama A&M University and is a cum laude graduate of Miles College School of Law. He completed the Executive Accounting and Finance program at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. Peoples currently serves as senior vice president of Employee Services and Labor Relations for Alabama Power and as vice president for Operation Services for Southern Company. He began his career with Southern Company in 1984 as a chemical technician at Alabama Power’s Plant Miller. Over the years Peoples has progressed through positions of increasing responsibility in Human Resources, Training and Workforce Development. Peoples holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biological Science from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He serves on the board of directors of the Alabama Power Foundation, Southeast LAMPAC, the National Utility Industry Training Fund and the Center for Construction Research and Training. Republished with the permission of the Alabama Newscenter.
Diane Roberts: Hey, football fans! How’s Donald Trump gonna do?
Greeting sportsfans, I’m Brent Toast of ESPN, along with former Heisman winner Johnny Twitt. Welcome to the most important event of 2016, the college football national championship! Who will prevail? Will it be the Clemson University Tigers, led by evangelical whackjob Dabo Swinney, or the Crimson Tide of Alabama, coached by gazillionaire and part-time Bond villain Nick Saban? But first, let’s look at the second-most important event of 2016, the race for the White House. Who’s playing with his hand in the dirt? Who’s got his ears pinned back? And — this is crucial — who’s No. 1 in pandering? Johnny? Thanks, Brent. Right now I’d say you’ve got to give the edge to Carly Fiorina. Her 40 time ain’t that hot — at 22 hours, it’s right up there with the Matanuska Glacier — but there’s nobody out there more shameless. Check this out: Minutes before Stanford took the field against an Iowa team already demoralized by the sheer number of Republican hopefuls crisscrossing the state, Fiorina sent this tweet: “Love my alma mater, but rooting for a Hawkeyes win today. #Rose Bowl.” Whoa, Johnny! That’s impressively, you might even say, stupidly, brazen. You got it, Brent. Between Christian McCaffrey’s running and the Stanford band’s halftime show featuring cow-tipping and references to FarmersOnly.com, Iowa collapsed like wet wheat. At least Fiorina tried to make a play. All Jeb Bush could come up with was free coozies at the pregame pep rally. Coozies, Johnny? That’s right, Brent. Coozies, black and gold, with “Hawkeyes for Jeb” on ‘em. That’s pretty tragic right there, Johnny. Not even “Jeb for the Hawkeyes.” No. No. What about Marco Rubio? Could be a momentum issue: the Michigan Wolverines delivered an old-fashioned fanny-whupping to Marco Rubio’s Gators down in the Citrus Bowl. That had to hurt. Bad year all round for Florida, Johnny. Houston owned FSU in the Peach and USF got slapped harder than a redheaded stepchild by Western Kentucky. Plus, Rick Scott is their governor. Ugly, Brent. Ugly. What’s happening with the Democrats, football-wise? Well, Brent, no one’s actually seen the Democrats, since they held their debates on game nights, and Hillary Clinton has failed to tell us who she’s supporting in Monday night’s championship game. I have to think it’s Clemson: the state of Alabama has pretty much outlawed Democrats. South Carolina has an early primary, too. What about Donald Trump? Well, that’s the big question. We reached out to his campaign but all they’d say is that he roots for the Wharton School of Business. The Wharton doesn’t have its own football team, Johnny. Must be some confusion with the U Penn Quakers. Au contraire, Brent. Trump specifically stated that the Quakers are “huge losers” and that he would kill ISIS the way they taught him to at Wharton. Well, OK, then. In related news, we now know who bankrolled the skywriting over the Rose Bowl, you know, the “Trump is Disgusting”? A property developer from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Name’s Stan Pate. Democrat? No, a Republican. Scary. Developer versus developer. It’s like the Civil War. Whatever. Trump’s getting some football love from former Georgia Bulldog great Herschel Walker and Patriot QB Tom Brady … Hot wife. Can’t argue with you there, my friend, but those guys have been hit in the head many, many times. Hard. Got to remember that, Johnny. Stay with us — we’ll be right back with Sen. Bernie Sanders, our guest picker on GameDay. Can he beat Rick Ross and Katy Perry? • • • Diane Roberts teaches at Florida State University. Her latest book is “Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America.” For more state and national commentary visit Context Florida.
