He’s lighting the way!
Kevin Walker is a U.S Army combat veteran with more than three decades of experience under his belt leading utility companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from West Point Academy and a master’s of business administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He formerly served in chief operation officer level positions at both Iberdrola and American Electric Power.
Walker then went on to serve as senior vice president for customer & operations services as well as nuclear decommissioning at Southern California Edison. In April 2020, he joined Duquesne Light Company (DLC) as chief operating officer. Now he has been named the new president and CEO of DLC, making history as the first Black man to lead DLC, Duquesne Light Holdings, and DQE, TribLive reports.
“It is my honor and privilege to lead the talented and dedicated employees of [DLC] and I’m looking forward to working with our business and community partners in Allegheny and Beaver counties,” Walker said.
The Pennsylvania native will replace former CEO Mark Kaplan, who will now serve as a special advisor to the company’s management and board of directors.
Joseph Guyaux, chairman of the board of directors, spoke highly about Walker and his new role saying, “With more than 30 years of utility and leadership experience, Kevin has played an integral role at DLC over the past year in helping to navigate the complexities of the covid pandemic. We have been impressed with Kevin’s business acumen, vision of the energy future and commitment to supporting employees, customers and the communities we serve.”
In addition to his work in the energy sector, Walker also served for six years as a field artillery officer and was deployed in Desert Storm. He also serves on the board of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
Duquesne Light employs over 1,700 people. Walker has plans to continue servicing staff and customers with the highest level of excellence possible.
“I’ve been impressed with the company’s ability to provide excellent customer service to the people of the Pittsburgh region, and my goal is to continue to meet our customers’ changing energy needs,” said Walker.
Congratulations, Kevin!
Photo Courtesy of Duquesne Light Co.