Kevin Walker named President and CEO of Duquesne Light Company

PITTSBURGH—The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the Board of Directors of DQE Holdings LLC (DQE) has appointed Kevin Walker as the new President and CEO of Duquesne Light Company (DLC), Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc. and DQE.

Walker succeeds Mark Kaplan, who had served in an interim role since January of this year. Kaplan has also served as chief financial officer and will retain that role throughout June, after which he will become special advisor to the company’s management and board of directors. Matthew Ankrum will assume the vice president, chief financial officer role on July 1.

“With more than 30 years of utility and leadership experience, Kevin has played an integral role at DLC over the past year in helping to navigate the complexities of the COVID pandemic,” said Joseph Guyaux, chairman of the board of directors in a statement. “We have been impressed with Kevin’s business acumen, vision of the energy future and commitment to supporting employees, customers and the communities we serve.” 

Prior to joining DLC as chief operating officer in April 2020, Walker served as senior vice president of customer and operations services and nuclear decommissioning at Southern California Edison. In that role, he oversaw customer experience for more than five million accounts; the services provided to the corporation through the Operational Services group, which included Supply Chain, Corporate Real Estate, Transportation Services and Corporate Environmental Services; and the on-site transfer of spent nuclear fuel from wet to dry storage. Additionally, he held chief operations officer-level positions at both Iberdrola and American Electric Power. 

As DLC’s first Black man and person of color to become president and CEO, he is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, serving six years as a field artillery officer with a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Desert Storm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from West Point Academy and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the board of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. 

Walker resides in Marshall Township with his spouse John, 7-year-old twins Grace and Max and two dogs Ellie and Henry. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, hiking and exploring Pittsburgh’s many trails and parks.    

“It is my honor and privilege to lead the talented and dedicated employees of DLC, TEN and DQE Communications, and I’m looking forward to working with our business and community partners in Allegheny and Beaver counties,” said Walker. “I’ve been impressed with the company’s ability to provide excellent customer service to the people of the Pittsburgh region, and my goal is to continue to meet our customers’ changing energy needs.”  

Over the next few months and beyond, DLC aims to remain focused on delivering safe, reliable and affordable power to the region while advancing clean energy practices through smart electrification and energy efficiency efforts.