Julie Sloat will take over as president and COO of AEP Ohio,replacing Pablo Vegas, effective May 2.

Sloat will oversee all aspects of electric service for the utility subsidiary, reporting to AEP Executive Vice President and COO Robert Powers,according to an April 11 statement.

Sloat has been serving in her current role of AEP senior vice president and treasurer since2013. The company expects to appoint a new treasurer soon.

Previously, Sloat worked in several managerial positions in differentdepartments of AEP including regulatory case management, investor relations andcredit risk management.

"Julie's regulatory and financial expertise and deep understandingof our business will serve us well as we continue our focus on making investmentsthat provide more reliable service, develop renewable power resources and give ourOhio customers tools to control how and when they use electricity," Powerssaid.

Vegas will leaveAEP to join NiSource Inc.as executive vice president and president of Columbia Gas Group, effective May 3.

AEP Ohio is the trade name of Ohio Power Co.