Ellen T. Ruff President — Office of Nuclear Development
Ellen Ruff is president, office of nuclear development, for Duke Energy. She is responsible for furthering the development of new nuclear generation in the Carolinas, including advancing Duke Energy’s plans for the proposed Lee Nuclear Station in Cherokee County, S.C. She was named to her current position in December 2008.
Previously, Ruff served as president of Duke Energy Carolinas, a position she held since April 2006. She led Duke Energy’s utility business in North Carolina and South Carolina, serving approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area.
Ruff joined Duke Power in 1978 as an attorney in the legal department. She was named vice president and general counsel of electric operations following the creation of Duke Energy in 1997; vice president and general counsel of corporate, gas and electric operations in January 1999; senior vice president and general counsel for Duke Energy in February 2001; and senior vice president of asset management for Duke Power in August 2001. She was named senior vice president of power policy and planning in February 2003, and group vice president of power policy and planning in March 2004. She was named group vice president of planning and external relations in March 2005. In that role, she led Duke Power's strategic planning, compliance, external relations strategy, and environment, health and safety efforts. She was also accountable for establishing and maintaining relationships with key regulators at the state and federal level.
A native of Hartford, Conn., Ruff graduated from Simmons College with a bachelor of arts degree in business, and earned a juris doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ruff is involved in a number of community and professional activities. She serves on the board of directors and the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Chamber. In 2006, she was appointed by N.C. Governor Mike Easley to serve a three-year term on the North Carolina Economic Development Board. Ruff is a board member of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance and a member of the Palmetto Business Forum. She is a member of the board of directors of the United Way of Central Carolinas 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.
Ruff was born in 1948. 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 4 million customers in the Carolinas and the Midwest. The company also distributes natural gas in Ohio and Kentucky. Its commercial power and international businesses operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing renewable energy portfolio. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK.
April 14, 2009
