Ben Felton, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Portland General Electric, named President for 2027
OJAI, Calif. , Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) elected its 2027 officers at its 142nd Annual Meeting in Ojai, California.
Ben Felton, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Portland General Electric, has been named President for 2027. He takes over from Jim Heilbron, Senior Vice President, Technical Shared Services, Southern Company, who becomes Immediate Past President. Felton is the first AEIC President from Portland General Electric.
“Ben has brought valuable perspective and leadership to AEIC as first vice president,” said AEIC CEO Steve Hauser. “He understands the demands facing utility operators and the value of bringing their expertise together. His focus on safety, innovation and operational excellence will serve our members well as he assumes the presidency.”
“The pace of change in our industry creates an opportunity to drive innovation, learn faster and accomplish more together,” said Felton. “AEIC brings together the experience, ideas and leadership to turn that opportunity into progress. I’m honored to serve as president and build on AEIC’s strong legacy of collaboration and innovation as we work to deliver safe, reliable and affordable power for the customers and communities we serve.”
Joining Felton as officers for 2027 are Jacob Tetlow, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Arizona Public Service (First Vice President), and Michael Finissi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operations Officer, Santee Cooper (Second Vice President).
Southern California Edison is hosting the meeting at the Ojai Valley Inn, October 20–22. Twelve member teams received Achievement Awards for work already running in their operations, and the Board named its 2027 officers.
About AEIC
Founded in 1885 by station operators who built the first electric systems, the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) is an industry association for electric utilities, currently with 190+ member companies and approximately 1,000 utility representatives. AEIC brings together operators, engineers, and executives from member utilities with a focus to “Collaborate. Innovate. Transform.” the industry together. Follow AEIC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aeicnews/posts
Media contact: Dr. Elizabeth Cook, ecook@aeic.org
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aeic-elects-2027-officers-and-renews-board-terms-302915938.html
SOURCE AEIC
