Ellen T. Ruff, president of Duke Energy Carolinas, will be the speaker for the second Distinguished CEO Lecture Series at Catawba College on Oct. 1.
Sponsored by the business advisory board for the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, the lecture will be held at 4 p.m. in the Peeler Crystal Lounge of the Robertson College Community Center.
The lecture is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required and may be made by calling Cecilia Stach at 704-637-4405. A reception will follow the lecture.
Ruff, a 30-year employee of Duke, leads that company’s utility business in the Carolinas, providing electricity and value-added products and services to more than 2.3 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area.
Duke Energy operates three nuclear stations, eight coal-fired stations, 31 hydroelectric stations and numerous combustion turbine units with a generating capacity of nearly 21,000 megawatts.
Prior to being named to her 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 accountable for maintaining relationships with key state and federal regulators.
Ruff, a graduate of Simmons College with a bachelor of arts degree in business and a juris doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a native of Hartford, Conn. She 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 N.C. Chamber and is a member of the N.C. Economic Development Board, S.C. Manufacturers Alliance board and Palmetto Business Forum.
She is serving as chairwoman of the 2008 regional campaign for the United Way of Central Carolina. She also serves on the board of Aqua America, 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.