Board of Directors

Business Experience: Chairman of the board of directors of The Andersons, Inc., a diversified public company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, as well as in railcar leasing and repair and turf products production, since 2016. He also served as CEO and chairman of the board of directors from 2009 to 2015 and chief executive officer from 1999 to 2015, of The Andersons, Inc. Director of FirstEnergy since 2007.

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: Anderson received an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management and was a Certified Public Accountant. He participated in the Harvard Advanced Management Program. Anderson was an auditor for Arthur Young & Co. In 1996, he became president and chief operating officer of The Andersons, Inc., and he is currently that company’s chairman. Anderson’s experience in the accounting and executive management areas are invaluable assets for FirstEnergy's Board.

Business Experience: President, CEO and director of FirstEnergy since January 1, 2015. He was Executive Vice President and President, FirstEnergy Utilities throughout 2014, Senior Vice President and President, FirstEnergy Utilities from 2010 to 2011, and President of FirstEnergy's utility subsidiaries from 2010 through 2014. He also serves as a director of many other subsidiaries of the Company. 

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: Jones received an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from The University of Akron. He also attended the United States Naval Academy and was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He completed the Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Public Utility Executive Program at the University of Michigan. He has had an extensive career, at Ohio Edison Company and later FirstEnergy Corp., and has held various executive leadership positions, most recently Executive Vice President and President of FirstEnergy Utilities, and currently President and CEO. With this vast experience, Jones brings to the Board an extraordinary understanding of the inner workings of the public utilities industry and FirstEnergy.

Business Experience: Principal owner of Forefront Solutions, LLC, which provides consulting services primarily to the energy infrastructure industry, since October 2017. Former president, chief executive officer and director of Quanta Services, Inc., a provider of specialty contracting services to the electric power and oil and gas industries (from 2011 to 2016). He serves as a director of the following three other public companies: CUI Global (board Vice Chairman), Hennessey Capital Acquisition Corp IV and NRC Group Holdings. Director of FirstEnergy since 2017.

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: O’Neil received his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Tulane University. His has extensive leadership and senior management experience, including the role of chief executive officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president of operations integration and audit. His extensive executive and board experience has equipped him with leadership skills and the knowledge of board processes and functions. Additionally, O’Neil’s audit, general corporate decision-making and engineering experience makes him a valuable member to the FirstEnergy Board. 

Business Experience: Retired in March 2019 as president and chief executive officer (positions held since 2010) of Trinseo S.A., a producer of plastics, latex and rubber. Pappas transitioned to the role of special adviser at Trinseo S.A., effective March 4, 2019. He also serves as a director of two public companies: Trinseo S.A. and Univar Inc., a chemical distributor and provider. Director of FirstEnergy since 2011. 

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: Pappas received an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He served in various leadership capacities at NOVA Chemicals Corporation, Dow Chemical, and DuPont Dow Elastomers. His extensive executive and board experience has equipped him with leadership skills and the knowledge of board processes and functions. Additionally, Pappas’ general corporate decision-making and senior executive experience with a commodity-based business provides a useful background for understanding the operations of FirstEnergy.

Business Experience: Pianalto retired in May 2014 as president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, a position she held since 2003. Prior to retiring, Pianalto also chaired the Federal Reserve’s Financial Services Policy Committee, which is a committee of senior Federal Reserve Bank officials responsible for overall direction of financial services and related support functions for the Federal Reserve Banks and for leadership in the evolving U.S. payment system. Pianalto is an executive in residence at the University of Akron. She also serves as a director of the following three other public companies: Eaton Corporation plc, Prudential Financial, Inc. and The J.M. Smucker Company. Director of FirstEnergy since February 2018.

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: Pianalto received a master’s degree in economics from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Akron. She is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Pianalto has extensive experience in monetary policy and financial services, and brings wideranging leadership and operating skills through her former roles with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and experience serving as a director of other public companies. Pianalto joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland in 1983 as an economist in the research department and held progressively more responsible leadership roles before being named president and chief executive officer. As president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, she developed expertise in economic research, supervision of financial institutions, and payment services to banks and the U.S. Treasury. In this role, Pianalto also managed approximately 950 employees. Pianalto’s comprehensive experience qualifies her to provide substantial guidance and oversight to the FirstEnergy Board, particularly in overseeing the Company’s finances.

Business Experience: Retired in 2011 as a Regional Administrator (position held since 2008) of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a federal regulatory agency. Director of FirstEnergy since 2013.

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: Reyes received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and his Master of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. He has extensive experience in the nuclear field and has held senior leadership positions with the NRC, an independent government agency that regulates commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials such as in nuclear medicine. He joined the NRC in 1978 where he held progressively more responsible leadership roles before being named executive director of operations in 2004, where he managed the agency’s day-to-day operations relating to the safe use of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and the environment. He also served as regional administrator for NRC Region II, overseeing all new commercial nuclear power plant construction in the United States as well as safety and operating plant inspections in the southeast United States. Reyes retired from the NRC in 2011 with 33 years of service. Reyes’ engineering, safety, environmental, regulatory and industry experience is essential to the FirstEnergy Board.

Business Experience: Retired in March 2018 as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary (positions held since 2012) of The Hershey Company, a global confectionery company. Director of FirstEnergy since 2018.

Other Attributes, Experience and Skills: Turner received her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center after graduating from the New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She also received a Master of Laws in Law and Government from the American University, Washington College of Law. Turner has extensive and wide-ranging leadership, legal, governance and corporate strategy skills through her former roles with The Hershey Company and The Coca-Cola Company. Turner served as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of The Hershey Company from 2012 until her retirement in March 2018. In this role, Turner was the leader of Hershey’s legal, government relations, corporate secretary, and corporate security functions. She also advised Hershey on M&A opportunities and other stakeholder considerations facing publicly traded companies. Prior to joining Hershey, Turner’s career included progressively more responsible leadership roles at Coca-Cola North America, Akin Gump Hauer & Feld, LLP and the senior executive service level of the federal government. Turner’s legal experience and additional regulatory experience qualify her to serve as a member of FirstEnergy's Board.