SWEPCO president Malcolm Smoak to retire, Brett Mattison named successor

Shreveport, La.-based Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), a utility of American Electric Power (AEP), announced Friday (Sept. 30) that Malcolm Smoak will retire on Jan. 1 after working for the company for 38 years.

Smoak is the president and chief operating officer of SWEPCO and will be replaced by Brett Mattison, president and chief operating officer of AEP utility company Kentucky Power. SWEPCO has more than 543,000 customers in three states, including Arkansas.

Smoak was named to his existing role in May 2018 after serving in the position in an interim capacity. He previously was vice president, distribution region operations for SWEPCO. He joined the company in 1984 as a distribution engineer in Shreveport and served in multiple roles, including metering, operations and engineering. He also co-led inspections and remediation of underground distribution networks for six AEP utility companies.

“Malcolm has dedicated his career to serving SWEPCO customers, and we appreciate the energy and effort that he has put into his work,” said Peggy Simmons, AEP executive vice president, utilities. “His retirement is well deserved, and we wish him all the best when he begins that new chapter in January.”

Mattison, who will report to Simmons, will be responsible for all aspects of SWEPCO’s service, including customer service, distribution operations, safety, communications, external affairs and regulatory functions.

Mattison and his family had relocated to the Ashland, Ky., area for his existing role but will move back to the Shreveport area for the new position. Before moving for his existing role, he was director of customer service and marketing for SWEPCO in Shreveport. He was in the position from 2004 to 2019 and was responsible for all aspects of customer service and marketing. He started his career with SWEPCO in 1990.

“Brett will be a familiar face for SWEPCO employees and our stakeholders,” Simmons said. “He has cultivated relationships that will allow him to hit the ground running. His customer-centered approach has been a hallmark of his leadership. SWEPCO customers can expect that he will carry on that same commitment when he returns.”

Mattison earned a Bachelor of Science in business finance from Louisiana Tech University and a commercial banking degree from the American Institute of Banking.

During Smoak’s tenure, SWEPCO, along with sister company Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO), completed the construction of 1,484-megawatt North Central Energy Facilities. The three wind farms produce nearly 6 million megawatt-hours annually for SWEPCO customers in Arkansas and Louisiana and PSO customers.