American Electric Power announced leadership changes to support its long-term strategy. The company has named Rob Berntsen executive vice president and general counsel, effective July 14, 2025 He will succeed David Feinberg, who will serve as senior advisor to the chief executive officer until departing the company August 15, 2025. Additionally, AEP has named Johannes Eckert executive vice president and chief information and technology officer, effective July 21, 2025.
Both Berntsen and Eckert will report to Bill Fehrman, AEP president, chief executive officer and director. Berntsen joins AEP from Xcel Energy, where he was executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer. Prior to joining Xcel, he was senior vice president, chief of staff and general counsel at BHE Renewables, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE).
Prior to BHE Renewables, Berntsen served as senior vice president and general counsel for BHE subsidiary MidAmerican Energy Company and led the utility's legal, regulatory, government affairs, compliance and energy efficiency groups. Prior to joining MidAmerican, he served as vice president of policy, government and regulatory affairs for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. (MISO), chair and member of the Iowa Utilities Commission, and corporate counsel for energy holding company Vectren Corp. (now part of CenterPoint Energy).
Berntsen was a captain in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, the legal arm of the U.S. Army, and deployed to Iraq in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and his juris doctorate from the University of Iowa. Eckert most recently served as senior vice president and chief information officer of Cox Communications.
During his 16 years with Cox Communications, he held roles of increasing responsibility, including various leadership roles in wireless technology, application development and network operations. Prior to joining Cox Communications, he was partner and head of wireless for Acta Wireless. His extensive experience also spans leadership and consulting roles across the U.S., Germany and South America including tenures at Kearney, AT&T, Telefónica Germany and Accenture.
Eckert received his bachelor's degree in computer science from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and his master's degree in international marketing and finance from Kennesaw State University.
