DULUTH, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 2019--
ALLETE, Inc.’s (NYSE:ALE) Board of Directors has elected Bethany Owen
President of ALLETE. Owen, 53, has been with the company for more than
16 years and will report to Al Hodnik who remains Chairman and CEO of
ALLETE. Today’s announcement follows an extensive internal executive
development process within ALLETE and strategic succession planning by
ALLETE’s directors.
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Bethany Owen (Photo: ALLETE)
In her new role, Owen will be working in close partnership with Hodnik
to oversee further formation and execution of the company’s growth
strategy, as well as oversight of its five operating divisions,
Minnesota Power, Superior Water Light and Power, ALLETE Clean Energy,
U.S. Water Services and BNI Energy.
In Owen’s most recent role with the company, she served as ALLETE senior
vice president and chief legal and administrative officer since 2016
with overall responsibility for the company’s legal, information and
operations technology, cyber security and human resources departments,
while working closely with ALLETE’s Board of Directors on governance
matters. That recent experience complemented significant operating
experience gained through leading and working directly with ALLETE’s
subsidiary businesses.
“Bethany is a proven leader and her values-based leadership, strategic
planning skills and diverse operational and labor relations experience
make her a unique fit for this new role,” said Hodnik. “She has
consistently demonstrated keen ability to lead and achieve strong
outcomes in a variety of roles while staying true to ALLETE’s values and
culture of integrity, safety and environmental stewardship. I look
forward to working closely with Bethany and the rest of the senior team
on advancing ALLETE’s long-term strategy of answering the call to
transform the nation’s energy landscape, enhancing shareholder value and
maintaining our deep commitment to customer service.”
In 2010, Owen became President of ALLETE’s Superior Water Light and
Power utility, based in Superior, Wisconsin. While serving in that role
for more than six years, she led strategy development, operational
improvements of the electric, water and gas utility including a
multi-million dollar investment in new infrastructure to improve safety
and reliability, and other measures to enhance the customer experience.
In 2014, Owen added leadership of Information Technology Solutions to
her responsibilities and was named Vice President-ALLETE.
“I am humbled and excited to have the opportunity to lead ALLETE and its
great people during this transformational time within our industry,”
said Owen. “Through our strategic positioning and execution, ALLETE is
financially strong, and its businesses are highly focused on serving our
customers with excellence while ensuring a sustainable, cleaner and less
carbon intense future. I look forward to working closely with our
Chairman and CEO Al Hodnik, our strong leadership team, the ALLETE
Directors, and all of our dedicated and talented employees to drive
long-term growth and value for our shareholders.”
Owen started her career at the company in 2002, as an attorney in the
Legal Services Department. In 2009, she was promoted to
director-transmission regulatory compliance and business support, where
she led the development and implementation of NERC and FERC compliance
program initiatives, and was directly involved with Minnesota Power’s
investment in the CapX2020 transmission initiative, and a variety of
MISO transmission tariff issues.
Prior to moving to Duluth and joining ALLETE, Owen worked for four years
in the United States Senate in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration and in the Office of former U.S.
Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana. She also gained considerable
experience in the telecommunications and food industries, holding
positions as legal counsel for various public and private ventures after
receiving her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.
She has served on a variety of community and non-profit boards,
including most recently, the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation,
where she serves as vice chair of the board of trustees.
ALLETE, Inc. is an energy company headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. In
addition to its electric utilities, Minnesota Power and Superior Water,
Light and Power of Wisconsin, ALLETE owns ALLETE Clean Energy, based in
Duluth, U.S. Water Services in St. Michael, Minn., BNI Energy in
Bismarck, N.D., and has an eight percent equity interest in the American
Transmission Co. More information about ALLETE is available at www.allete.com. ALE-CORP
The statements contained in this release and statements that ALLETE
may make orally in connection with this release that are not historical
facts, are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and investors
are directed to the risks discussed in documents filed by ALLETE with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190204005576/en/
Source: ALLETE, Inc.
Vince Meyer
218-723-3952
vmeyer@allete.com
Amy
Rutledge
Mgr. Corporate Comm.
218-723-7400
arutledge@allete.com