COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (September 06, 2023) — The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Board of Directors today presented Executive Chairman of Southern Company Thomas A. “Tom” Fanning with the Thomas A. Edison Legacy Award in recognition of his decades of service to the electric power industry and his leadership in enhancing industry-government coordination to help ensure security and preparedness for all hazards. The award was presented during EEI’s fall board of directors and chief executives meeting.
Among his many accomplishments, Fanning helped to establish and co-chaired the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) from 2013 to 2022. The ESCC is the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power industry to protect the energy grid from threats that could impact national security, including cyber and physical terrorism as well as extreme weather events and natural disasters.
“We applaud Tom’s leadership and his tireless efforts to work with our government partners to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters and to protect the energy grid from both cyber and physical security threats,” said EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn. “Tom continues to be a vital player in coordinating effective responses, and we are grateful for his partnership and counsel on many of the key issues facing our industry today.”
In addition to the ESCC, Fanning also collaborates with the Tri-Sector Executive Working Group, which was formed by the electricity, finance, and communications sectors to enhance national and economic security by developing a cross-sector strategic framework to address existential threats, risk, and consequence management. His leadership in the cybersecurity area was recognized by the U.S. Senate with an appointment to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a group that developed a protection strategy for the cyberspace interests of the United States. Fanning also chairs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, where he helps set agency strategy and supports CISA’s work with the private sector.
Fanning served as chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company from 2010 to 2023. Prior to being elected president, he held 15 different positions in eight different business units, including numerous officer positions at a variety of Southern Company subsidiaries in the areas of finance, strategy, international business development, and technology.
From 2012-2018, Fanning served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and is a past chairman. He is also a past chairman of the Conference of Chairs of the Federal Reserve Banks and served as EEI chair from June 2016 to June 2017.
Fanning sits on the advisory board of the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, the board of trustees of the Georgia Tech Foundation, is chairman of the board of directors of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and is a member of the regional governing board of the World Association of Nuclear Operators’ Atlanta Centre. He also serves on the board of directors of Vulcan Materials Company and is a member of the Business Roundtable. Fanning also is a member of the international advisory board of the Atlantic Council, which promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs, and the American Energy Innovation Council, a group of America’s leading business executives working to build broad bipartisan support for public and private investments in innovation.
Fanning earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial management and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from Georgia Tech. His executive education includes programs at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, Harvard Business School, and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
