The Alabama Power board of directors today elected Richard J. Mandes Jr. as a vice president of Alabama Power with responsibility for Transmission.
        Mandes most recently served as Alabama Power's Birming-ham Division Distribution manager where he managed the electrical distribution department in the metro Birmingham area, associated capital and O&M budgets and equipment and facilities. Prior to that, Mandes was the Power Delivery general manager for affiliate Gulf Power in Northwest Florida.
       "Rich's successful leadership in restoring electric systems after catastrophic storms like Ivan, Dennis and Rita can assure our customers they can count on Alabama Power's long tradition of outstanding reliability and customer service," said Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary.
       Mandes is a 1981 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He also is a graduate of the Executive Development Program of the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
       Mandes started his career with Southern Company in 1978 as a co-op engineering student with Georgia Power. He has advanced through positions of increasing responsibility since then.
       Mandes and his wife, Jan, have one son, Micah, who is 21