COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 27, 2009 – Sara Martinez Tucker, former undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education and former president and chief executive officer of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, has been elected to American Electric Power’s Board of Directors, according to Michael G. Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Tucker, 53, was undersecretary of the Department of Education from 2006 to 2008. As undersecretary, her responsibilities included overseeing policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid.

Prior to joining the Department of Education, Tucker spent nine years as president and chief executive officer of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the nation’s leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education. In this role, she raised $280 million in support of the organization’s mission to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees. Previously, Tucker worked for 16 years at AT&T, most recently as a regional vice president for AT&T Global Business Communications Systems.

“Sara Martinez Tucker has an impressive record of public and private sector service, both in the fields of education and telecommunications,” Morris said. “Her extensive experience in telecommunications, education, customer service technologies and communications systems will be a valuable asset for our Board.”

A native of Laredo, Texas, Tucker received her undergraduate degree in journalism, with honors, from The University of Texas in Austin. After working as a reporter for the San Antonio Express for two years, Tucker returned to UT-Austin to earn a Master of Business Administration degree. She also holds honorary doctorates from Boston College, the University of Maryland University College and the University of Notre Dame. She currently resides in San Francisco.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.