Meet Our Leadership Team

Chris Cummiskey

As chief executive officer, Cummiskey is responsible for delivering growth and customer solutions across Southern Company’s subsidiaries. This role is customer focused, driving efficiencies and collaboration of Southern Company’s customer, marketing and branding strategies across the companies.

Cummiskey also leads Southern Company’s unregulated competitive businesses as he serves as Chairman and CEO of Southern Power, PowerSecure and Southern Holdings. In addition to these responsibilities, Cummiskey oversees the innovation functions for Southern Company, including Research and Development and New Ventures organization. Before becoming Group CEO for Southern Energy Resources earlier this year, Cummiskey served as executive vice president of external affairs and nuclear development for Georgia Power. Previously in his career, Cummiskey served as chief commercial officer of Southern Power and as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

From 2011 to 2013, Cummiskey served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), where he led more than 500 company locations or expansions in Georgia, creating 46,700 jobs and nearly $9 billion in capital investment. Under his leadership, the tourism industry also registered $49 billion in total economic impact in Georgia in 2011, and the impact of the film industry reached a new record at $3.1 billion in the state in 2012. Prior to joining GDEcD, Cummiskey was a manager and director of energy and gas derivatives trading for companies including RWE Americas, Mirant and Mieco. He also served as a state director for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia and chief of staff for the speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.

Cummiskey is a current member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and Trinity Presbyterian Church. He is a past member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia board of trustees for the Nature Conservancy.

Cummiskey earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Rebecca, reside in Atlanta with their two children, Addison and Jack.

James (Jim) Smith

Jim Smith serves as the president of PowerSecure, the nation’s leading distributed energy innovation company.

As a seasoned executive on the front lines of distributed energy resource (DER) solutions, Smith is responsible for overseeing the company’s fast-growing microgrid business and its fleet of 2+ gigawatts of installed systems that leads the US industry with a 98%+ reliability rating.

Prior to his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, Smith served as president of energy efficiency services at PowerSecure from 2013 to 2018. In this role, he was responsible for delivering best-in-class solutions in lighting, controls, water conservation, building envelope, mechanical/electrical upgrades and renewable energy to reduce energy costs, improve operations and provide the best life cycle cost.

Smith previously served as executive vice president and group president of Lime Energy, a national provider of clean energy solutions from 2004 to 2012. From 1998 to 2004, he served as director, engineering and operations for Ameresco Inc., an independent provider of comprehensive energy services. Prior to that, Smith also worked for Duke Solutions, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, and Burlington Industries.

Smith began his career with Burlington Industries, where he worked for eight years in engineering, service, and operations with overall responsibility for multiple large industrial and manufacturing facilities in the Southeast before joining Duke Solutions.

Smith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University as well as numerous licenses and certifications in construction, engineering, project management and safety.

Gary Kerr

Gary Kerr is senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company and PowerSecure. Southern Power is America’s Premier Wholesale Energy Partner, meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities and commercial and industrial customers with one of the fastest growing clean energy portfolios in the U.S. Kerr’s responsibilities include the oversight of accounting and finance functions, as well as the direction of project and market analysis activities for Southern Power. He was named to this position in 2022.

Prior to his current role, Kerr served as the vice president of System Planning within Southern Company Services (SCS) Operations. As part of the System Planning organization, Gary supported the long-term planning efforts of Southern Company’s retail operating companies as well as the development of new generating assets.

Kerr joined Southern Company in 2006 as part of SCS System Planning supporting analysis around environmental strategy decisions for the regulated operating companies.

In 2009, Gary joined Southern Power as part of the Market Analysis & Structuring group in Southern Power Finance. During his time at Southern Power, Gary held leadership positions in a variety of areas within Finance, including serving as the vice president of Financial Valuation & Structuring. In this role, Gary led a team responsible for the development of Southern Power’s long-term financial planning projections, the development of Southern Power’s internal market price forecast and led the financial analysis of Business Development/Acquisition efforts across all U.S. energy markets.

Kerr attended Tennessee Technological University, where he received his degree in mechanical engineering. He also has received a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Alabama.

John Pemberton

John L. Pemberton is senior vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer for Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company and PowerSecure. Southern Power is America’s Premier Wholesale Energy Partner, meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities and commercial and industrial customers with one of the fastest growing clean energy portfolios in the U.S. PowerSecure, Southern Company’s distributed infrastructure development company, is a leading developer of microgrids and resiliency products for commercial and industrial customers nationwide. In addition to legal support, Pemberton oversees compliance and external affairs for both companies. He was named to this position in 2019.

Prior to his current position, Pemberton served as senior vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel for Southern Power, where his responsibilities included contract compliance, environmental compliance, communications, real estate and coordinating with system federal policy efforts.

Pemberton joined Southern Company in 2003. During his career, he has held a number of leadership positions with Southern Company, including vice president of governmental affairs in Southern Company’s Washington, D.C., office, where he managed the company’s federal outreach activities.

Pemberton has also served as senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power, where he was responsible for coal, natural gas and hydro generation. He also served as senior vice president and general counsel for Southern Company operations and Southern Nuclear. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing legal services, regulatory matters and external affairs for Southern Company’s operations organization and for Southern Nuclear.

Before joining Southern Company, Pemberton served as chief of staff for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Air and Radiation from 2001-2003, where he helped manage the office’s efforts on several utility-related policy issues. Pemberton also was counsel and then chief of counsel for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Pemberton is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, as well as the Creighton University School of Law. He currently serves as a board member to the YMCA of Atlanta and the YMCA High Harbour.

John Trawick

John Trawick is senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company and PowerSecure. Southern Power is America’s Premier Wholesale Energy Partner, meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities and commercial and industrial customers with one of the fastest growing clean energy portfolios in the U.S. PowerSecure, Southern Company’s distributed infrastructure development company, is a leading developer of microgrids and resiliency products to commercial and industrial customers nationwide. Trawick is responsible for market policy, communication, human resources and technology for both companies. In addition, Trawick is responsible for commercial optimization and trading functions and the transmission of Southern Power. He was named to this position in 2019.

Prior to his current position, Trawick served as senior vice president and chief operating officer for Southern Power, where he was responsible for the operations of Southern Power’s expanding electric generation fleet, transmission, and commercial optimization and trading.

Trawick has also served as senior vice president of commercial operations and planning for Southern Company, where he was responsible for Southern Wholesale Energy, fleet operations and energy trading, financial and contract services, operations budget and reporting, system planning and fuels.

Before returning to Southern Company in 2013, Trawick was the senior vice president of power supply and fuels for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Knoxville, Tennessee. In this role, Trawick was responsible for power trading, power origination, coal and gas services, system planning, structuring and portfolio management and fleet coordination. Trawick joined TVA in 2008 and led an effort to restructure the TVA wholesale rate design for the first time in 20 years with TVA’s 155 electric cooperative and municipal customers.

In his prior employment at Southern Company, Trawick was director of strategic and corporate affairs at Southern Power. Trawick has also worked at Southern Energy Inc., or Mirant, and as a senior consultant with J. Kennedy and Associates, analyzing financial and economic analyses in utility, cost-of-service, rate design and production modeling.

Trawick is a native of Montgomery, Alabama. He graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and earned a master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Tennessee. He serves on the Leadership Council of the College of Science and Mathematics at Auburn University. He has served in various community roles including the chair of the United Way for the Smoky Mountain Region Combined Federal Campaign in 2009 and 2010, chair of the March of Dimes Greater Birmingham campaign, and as a board member of Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center and the Autism Society of Alabama.

Trawick has two sons and lives in Birmingham.

Andrew Wall

Andrew Wall serves as senior vice president and chief commercial officer for PowerSecure. He is a member of the executive management team and is responsible for leading the commercial organization to deliver sustained, profitable growth of the company. In this role, Wall leads and oversees the strategic growth development and execution, corporate development, sales and marketing performance, and delivery of world-class customer experience.

Prior to joining PowerSecure, Wall served as senior vice president and chief commercial officer for NN, Inc., a diversified industrial company, combining advanced engineering and production capabilities with in-depth materials science expertise to design and manufacture high-precision components and assemblies for a variety of markets on a global basis. Prior to joining the NN, Inc., Wall served in numerous leadership positions for ABB, a global manufacturer of heavy electrical equipment and automation technology, with roles spanning corporate strategy, business development, marketing, sales, and business unit general management over an 18-year tenure. Wall also serves on the Board of Directors for Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, an industry-funded, industry-led organization focused on accelerating growth and leadership of the cleantech economy, leveraging the unique concentration of industry, academic, and government leaders in the Research Triangle of NC to create benefits through innovation, deployment, and talent in the region, North Carolina, and beyond.

Wall holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Management from North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from Elon University.