POWERGRAMS

3 in the short run, not much will change after Crosswhite takes over, he says. "don't expect a sea change. it will be the same path we've been going," Crosswhite says. "i don't think there are significant differences of view between Charles and me." that said, he hints at changes without revealing any specific plans. Some of those who are close to Crosswhite say they expect him to respect the legacy of his predecessors even as he makes his own way. "Mark will take advantage of and continue the legacy Charles built on the tried and true things that work," Smith says. "he's not going to mess with that." At the same time, says longtime Balch & Bingham lawyer Rod Mundy, who retired as Alabama Power's general counsel in 2006, Crosswhite is "going to tweak things, and hopefully do things better if there are things to be done better. You can always sharpen your edge." Crosswhite's appointment is the culmination of almost three decades of working, in one form or another, for Alabama Power and Southern Company. the son of a "rocket scientist" and a school teacher, Crosswhite grew up in decatur and worked summers at Point Mallard, a water theme park, for six years through high school and college at UAh, until he went to the University of Alabama School of Law. the last several of those Point Mallard years, Crosswhite was a maintenance man, responsible for operating the park's pools. while in law school, Crosswhite worked summers at Balch & Bingham. his first project involved Alabama Power. he was hooked. when Crosswhite earned his law degree, Balch & Bingham came calling with a job offer. Crosswhite worked at Balch for 17 years in the firm's energy Section, handling many complex cases for Alabama Power in state and federal agencies and courts. Crosswhite left Balch in 2004 to become senior vice president and general counsel for Southern Company Generation. two years later, he followed Mundy as Alabama Power's senior vice president and counsel – what Crosswhite believed was his dream job. "i was 44 at that time," he says. "i thought i'll be here till i retire." instead, in 2008, McCrary informed him he would be the new executive vice president over external Affairs, following Steve Spencer's promotion to executive vice president over the Customer Service organization. "i was floored," Crosswhite says. "i never saw that coming. Fortunately, Steve left things in great shape and was always there when i needed advice." Crosswhite was used to being a lawyer in a support role. Now, he says, he was "on the tip of the spear." Crosswhite says he enjoyed his time in external Affairs, which ultimately proved to be invaluable in preparing him to become Alabama Power's Ceo. After a few years in external Affairs, though, Southern Company Chairman, President and Ceo Tom Fanning wanted Crosswhite to become Gulf Power's Ceo. Crosswhite moved to Pensacola, Fla., in January 2011. he speaks fondly of his time at Gulf, although his honeymoon was short. By May, he was dealing with a rate case and being "raked over the coals." even so, the case turned out well for the company. Crosswhite worked at Gulf for 18 months before heading home to Birmingham after being named Southern Company's chief operating officer in 2012. in that role, he worked with Generation, transmission, engineering & Construction Services, Research & environmental Affairs, System Planning, Southern wholesale energy, Fleet operations & trading, and Southern Power Company. "working with the operations team, i learned a lot about the more technical side of our business – how we make, move and sell electricity," Crosswhite says. Now, he will become Alabama Power's 11th leader in its 108-year history. what is it about Crosswhite that makes him the right fit? Mundy says he knew early on Crosswhite was a special talent. "i think he's got every trait, personality, training and background you could ever want for any job in the Southern system," Mundy says. "i've always known he was going to the top of whatever he did." Leslie Sanders, Southern division vice president, points to Crosswhite's legal, external and system experience. "his history has demonstrated that he emphasizes the core values our company currently has," says Sanders, who worked with Crosswhite when she was in Governmental Affairs. "he truly values his employees, wants to be the best in customer service and has handled external issues in a fair, ethical manner." Susan Livingston, a partner at Balch & Bingham who had an office next to Crosswhite for years, describes him as a "very bright, hardworking attorney who could handle any issue that arose. Mark was the first one at work every day and usually Crosswhite relaxes with makeup artist Angela King and Public Relations employee Michael Sznajderman in between takes of a recent video shoot. Crosswhite will become Alabama Power's 11th leader.

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