Seats are still available to hear Ellen T. Ruff, president-Duke Energy Caro-linas, speak at the second Distinguished CEO Lecture Series Wednesday at Cataw-ba College.
Sponsored by the Business Advisory Board for the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, the lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4 p.m. in the Peeler Crystal Lounge of the Robertson College-Community Center, with musical entertainment beginning at 3:45 p.m.
To reserve a seat, call Cecilia Stach at 704-637-4405. A reception will follow the lecture.
Ruff, a 30-year employee of Duke, leads the company’s utility business in North and South Carolina, providing electricity and related products and services to more than 2.3 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area. Duke Energy’s diverse mix of generating resources in the Carolinas includes three nuclear stations, eight coal-fired stations, 31 hydroelectric stations and numerous combustion turbine units with a generating capacity of nearly 21,000 megawatts.
Before being named to her current position in April 2006, Ruff served as group vice president of planning and external relations for Duke Power. She led Duke Power’s strategic planning, compliance, environmental health and safety, and external relations strategy efforts. She was also accountable for establishing and maintaining relationships with key state and federal regulators.
Ruff is a graduate of Simmons College with a bachelor of arts degree in business; she also holds a juris doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Hartford, Conn., native joined Duke Power in 1978 as an attorney in the legal department.
She serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of the North Carolina Chamber and is a member of the North Carolina Economic Devel-opment Board, South Carolina Manufacturers Al-liance board, and Palmetto Business Forum. She is a member of the board of directors of the United Way of Central Carolina and serves as chair of the organization’s 2008 regional campaign.
She also serves on the board of Aqua America Inc., a publicly traded water company. She and her husband, Tom, have a daughter and two sons.
Duke Energy, one of the largest power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 3.9 million customers in the Carolinas and the Midwest.
The company also distributes natural gas in Ohio and Kentucky, generates electricity in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate company. Headquartered in Charlotte, Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK.
Ruff’s visit to Catawba, follows one made last spring by Robert Ingram, vice chairman pharmaceuticals for GlaxoSmithKline.
He spoke at Catawba’s first Distinguished CEO Lecture Series.