Ryan Forbes

Vice President - Distribution Operations

Ryan Forbes is vice president, Distribution Operations, for AEP Ohio. He is responsible for construction, engineering, grid modernization, maintenance and operations of the company’s electric distribution system, which serves 1.5 million customers in Ohio.

Forbes has been with American Electric Power since 2007, joining AEP Ohio in June 2020 as the director of Project Management, Vegetation Management and Contractor Management. He most recently served as director, Distribution Engineering, and led the engineering, project design, reliability, business operations and technical functions for the distribution system in the execution of major capital programs. This included system reliability performance and leadership oversight for distribution asset management strategies for AEP Ohio’s service territory.

Forbes spent much of his early AEP career in the Generation organization, holding multiple leadership positions before being named plant manager at AEP’s Conesville Generating Station in east central Ohio in 2017. He led all functions of plant engineering, asset management, operation and maintenance, safety, environmental and financial performance, and oversaw the plant’s closure in May 2020.

Forbes has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and a master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering, both from Ohio University.