Martin Appointed Wisconsin Energy Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Fleming to Retire

Published on Thursday, 02 February 2012 09:18 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan Martin has been appointed executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE:WEC), effective March 1. 

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/CG45964-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/CG45964-b)

Martin, 59, who currently serves as vice president, corporate secretary and associate general counsel, will succeed James Fleming, who has served as executive vice president and general counsel since 2006.  Fleming has announced his intention to retire at the end of March.  He will assist Martin with the transition until the date of his retirement.

Martin has served in her current role since 2007 and has been the lead counsel on environmental matters and on issues related to the company's power generation business.  She joined We Energies in 2000 as an attorney and was appointed law director – We Generation in 2006.  Prior to joining We Energies, Martin was associated with the law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP in Milwaukee.

She earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in English and literature from the University of Michigan and a juris doctor degree cum laude from the University of Wisconsin.

"Susan brings to her new position a depth of experience and an excellent understanding of our business," said Gale Klappa, chairman, president and chief executive of Wisconsin Energy.  "She has been a key advisor during the execution of our Power the Future plan, and her addition to our senior team continues our tradition of recognizing strong and effective leadership."

Fleming, 66, joined Wisconsin Energy in 2006 from Southern Company, where he had served as associate general counsel for eight years.  Earlier, he practiced law for more than 20 years with one of Atlanta's most respected law firms, Troutman Sanders.

"Jim has been an integral part of Wisconsin Energy's success, helping to guide our company through a series of challenging and complex issues.  His insight, work ethic and team spirit have made him an exceptional general counsel.  We wish him well as he begins his much-deserved retirement," said Klappa.

Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. The company's principal utility is We Energies. The company's other major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants.

Wisconsin Energy (wisconsinenergy.com), a component of the S&P 500, has more than $13 billion of assets, approximately 4,600 employees and more than 43,000 stockholders of record.

SOURCE Wisconsin Energy Corporation