POWERGRAMS

Legislature honored workers June 1 with Alabama Lineman Appreciation Day. In the popular culture, accountants are often portrayed as green eyeshade- wearing loners with their noses stuck in a ledger. Meet Anita Allcorn-Walker. Vice president and comptroller since 2010, Allcorn- Walker is charged with ensuring that all financial information released by Alabama Power to the public is accurate and timely. But her responsibilities go well beyond the numbers. "I would say that equally important is how we develop people," she said. "So that when I'm not here there's a great group that can continue on, they understand their roles and they've had every opportunity to succeed." A graduate of the University of Alabama and Samford University, Allcorn-Walker began working at Alabama Power in 1990 as an internal auditor. Today she handles the books for the largest taxpayer in the state, which as a standalone company would place on the Fortune 500. It's a challenge that calls for a team effort. "Alabama Power has a culture of compliance," said Allcorn-Walker. "We have a very open, transparent organization that allows for a lot of people to look in. We have probably a hundred people who can look in and 'throw a flag.'" This is especially important today. In 2002, a series of accounting scandals led Congress to pass severe criminal penalties for misreporting financial information. Allcorn-Walker is confident the company can avoid those pitfalls. "The big frauds came from the top. They did not come from the bottom," she said. "So you bring people into a company that has a very compliant culture – a strong tone at the top, all the way from Mark Crosswhite down – and it creates an environment that makes it easy for people to do the right thing." "Doing the right thing" is a good job description for comptroller. "Whatever the answer really is supposed to be, that's what you have to deliver," she said. "You don't have the option of changing the story because it's not pretty. You have to just tell the facts." Balancing the books is one goal. Saving money is another. Allcorn-Walker said her department looks for opportunities to lower costs whenever possible. "We spend a lot of effort looking for efficiencies and processes that you can mechanize," she said. "By driving efficiencies through your processes, you can save money. Through time, you can have these incremental changes that'll make a big difference." Outside forces also affect the bottom line. "The company will have to respond and be flexible to new environmental rules," Allcorn-Walker said. "Alabama Power is operationally obligated to serve its customers. So if you're being limited on how you use coal, and it becomes a price so high your customers can't bear it, then you're forced to look at all these other fuel sources. "Diversity of fuel sources has always been a part of our DNA," she added. Growing up in Oneonta, where she lives with her husband and two children, Allcorn-Walker got her drive from two natural leaders. "My dad and mom always took a leadership role wherever they were," she said. "My dad was a Missionary Baptist minister who pastored multiple churches over 40 years. He was one who looked for the lost sheep, the one who was left out." Their efforts to serve in a church and manage a business and a farm inspired her to choose her profession. "When they made a business decision they would consult with their accountant," said Allcorn-Walker. "That's why it interested me. Not because they were doing the numbers, but because the accountant was a part of the decision-making. "And that's what I love about this," she continued. "I'm partner to folks across the company, whether it's in Generation, Power Delivery, Marketing – we're a part of that. That's what I love." Ensuring a culture of compliance: Comptroller Allcorn-Walker PROFILE 22 Allcorn-Walker joined company in 1990. By John Herr • Photo by Billy Brown

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