Central and South West Corporation Announces Structural, Leadership Reorganization

DALLAS, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ --Central and South West Corporation (NYSE: CSR) today announced an extensive management realignment and several reassignments within the company's structure and leadership, effective immediately.

E.R. Brooks, chairman and chief executive officer of Central and South West, said the moves are part of CSW's on-going process to effectively position the company to compete in the fast-changing competitive environment and to prepare the company for its announced merger with American Electric Power Company (NYSE: AEP).

Now reporting directly to CSW President and Chief Operating Officer Thomas V. Shockley III are three CSW senior vice presidents: Thomas M. Hagan, Venita McCellon-Allen and Glenn Files. Also reporting to Shockley are Terry D. Dennis, president and chief executive officer of CSW Energy, Inc., and CSW International, Inc.; Jim Ellis, chairman and chief executive of SEEBOARD plc; and Stephen J. McDonnell, who is assuming a new position as CSW vice president, AEP merger, to coordinate and administer merger-related activities.

Ferd. C. Meyer Jr., who had been CSW senior vice president and general counsel, has been named executive vice president and general counsel, and Glenn D. Rosilier, who had been CSW senior vice president and chief financial officer, has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Shockley, Meyer and Rosilier, along with T. Bart Edwards, CSW's director of audits, will continue reporting to Brooks.

In the realigned organization, the following officers now report to Senior Vice President of External Affairs Thomas M. Hagan:

-- Mark W. Menezes, vice president of governmental affairs, a newly

created position; Menezes will oversee all of CSW's state and federal

legislative activities; he had been director of federal regulatory

affairs for CSW in Washington, D.C.;

-- Mark D. Roberson, vice president of regulatory affairs, who returns to

his former position after a special assignment to develop energy

trading possibilities; he will oversee regulatory matters on the

proposed CSW/AEP merger and other on-going regulatory activities;

-- Alphonso R. Jackson, CSW Texas president, a new position; he will

oversee public and community affairs activities and relationships at

CSW subsidiaries Central Power and Light Company and West Texas

Utilities Company; Jackson had been vice president of corporate

resources for CSW Energy and CSW International in Dallas; J. Gonzalo

Sandoval, general manager-president of Central Power and Light, and

Paul J. Brower, general manager-president of West Texas Utilities, will

report to Jackson and will handle day-to-day public affairs activities

at their companies.

-- T.D. "Pete" Churchwell, CSW Oklahoma-PSO president, a new position with

responsibilities for public and community affairs and relationships at

CSW subsidiary Public Service Company of Oklahoma; Churchwell had been

PSO president in Tulsa; William R. McKamey, PSO general manager will

report to Churchwell; and

-- Michael H. Madison, CSW Louisiana/Arkansas-SWEPCO president, a new

position with responsibilities for public and community affairs and

relationships at CSW subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Company in

Louisiana, Arkansas and northeast Texas; Madison had been in the United

Kingdom at CSW's SEEBOARD plc unit, heading its Project 1998 to prepare

for retail competition; Karen C. Martin, SWEPCO general manager, will

report to Madison.

Officers reporting to Senior Vice President of Customer Relations and Corporate Development Venita McCellon-Allen are:

-- Lana L. Hillebrand, vice president of human resources; and

-- M. Bruce Evans, vice president of customer relations, a new position;

Evans will be in charge of all customer aspects of CSW's regulated

utility business, including customer billing, call centers, division

managers and area business managers, regulated marketing, customer

information system and customer retention activities; Evans had been

president of CSW subsidiary Central Power and Light in Corpus Christi,

Texas.

Officers reporting to Senior Vice President of Electric Operations Glenn Files are:

-- Richard P. Verret, president of production;

-- Robert L. Zemanek, president of energy delivery;

-- Richard H. Bremer, president of energy services; and

-- Michael D. Smith, vice president of business opportunities, a new

position; he primarily will be responsible for developing and

supporting the growth of joint venture activities, especially with AEP,

during the merger transition period; Smith had been president of CSW

subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Officers of CSW Energy and CSW International reporting to CSWE and CSWI President Terry D. Dennis are:

-- Michael T. Moran, vice president of asset management;

-- Paul E. Graf, vice president of business development;

-- Lee D. Atkins, vice president of project finance; and

-- Floyd W. Nickerson, vice president of corporate resources, who will

oversee strategic planning, human resources and public relations for

the two subsidiaries; he had been president of CSW subsidiary West

Texas Utilities in Abilene, Texas.

Officers of SEEBOARD plc reporting to SEEBOARD Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Ellis are:

-- John Weight, group managing director and chief operating officer;

-- John D. Harper, CSW U.K. director; he had been executive assistant to

CSW Chairman and CEO Brooks;

-- Rod Danes, group corporate affairs director; and

-- Michael J. Pavia, group finance director.

Kenneth C. Raney Jr., CSW vice president, associate general counsel and corporate secretary, will continue reporting to Meyer. CSW Controller Larry B. Connors and CSW Treasurer Wendy G. Hargus will continue reporting to Rosilier.

"We are making these changes for two primary reasons," said CSW Chairman and CEO E.R. Brooks. "First, it is imperative that we continue to mold our organization in a manner that will allow us to compete and win in the new, competitive environment. We must be prepared for what the world will be, not for what it was.

"Second, we are taking these steps to better align our operations with those of our strategic combination partner, American Electric Power. As we move forward during the next 12 to 18 months to complete our merger, it will be increasingly important that we travel on parallel or even slightly converging pathways. These moves will allow us to do just that.

"This overall realignment supports more effectively our business unit and other key strategic and operational objectives during this merger and industry transition period," said Brooks.

Central and South West Corporation is a global, diversified public utility holding company based in Dallas. CSW owns four electric operating subsidiaries, serving 1.7 million customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas; a regional electricity company in the United Kingdom; other international energy operations and non-utility subsidiaries involved in energy-related investments, telecommunications, energy efficiency and financial transactions.

On December 22, 1997, CSW announced a merger with American Electric Power Company, Inc., a global energy company, providing energy to 2.9 million customers in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom and China.

SOURCE Central and South West Corporation

    -0-                             01/21/98

/CONTACT: Gerald R. Hunter, manager of external communications of Central and South West Corporation, 214-777-1165/

/Web site: www.csw.com/

(CSR)

CO: Central and South West Corporation ST: Texas IN: UTI SU: PER

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