Melissa Seixas

Melissa Seixas is Duke Energy’s state president in Florida, serving approximately 2 million electric  retail customers throughout the Sunshine State, including Pinellas County and the Greater Orlando  area. She is responsible for the financial performance of Duke Energy’s regulated utility in Florida,  as well as managing state and local regulatory and government relations and community affairs.  She also oversees the advancement of the company’s rate and regulatory initiatives related to its  electric operations. 

Prior to assuming her current position in February 2021, Seixas served as vice president of  government and community relations in Florida. In this role, she directed efforts to strengthen  relationships with local municipal, community and civic organizations, as well as business leaders  throughout the company’s 35-county service area. She and her team were integral to helping  communities achieve their energy, growth and sustainability goals.  

In her four decades of service with Duke Energy and its predecessor companies (Florida Power  and Progress Energy), Seixas advanced through numerous leadership roles. She began her career  working in distribution engineering, hand drawing power poles and wires for the city of St.  Petersburg, in 1986. Her experiences cultivated a passion for energy, respect for the people who  create it and commitment to the lives it powers – all of which still motivate her today. 

Seixas holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Eckerd College, where she received an  honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2025. She also has a master’s degree in American  history from the University of South Florida (USF). Her executive training includes the Yale  University Global Executive Leadership Program, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)  certification from Johns Hopkins University, and programs with the Edison Electric Institute and  Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.  

With a strong sense of community, Seixas currently serves as chair of the Florida Electric Power  Coordinating Group Inc. and on the boards of directors for the Tampa Bay Partnership Council of  Governors and Florida Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Florida Council of 100.  

Seixas has a long history of giving back to the educational institutions that helped shape her. She  serves as a member of the board of trustees at Eckerd College and USF, where she is also chair of  the USF St. Petersburg Campus Board. She was presented with the USF Regional Chancellor Award  for Civic Leadership in 2019.  

Seixas has earned repeated mention on the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100 list and  Florida Trend’s 500 Most Influential Leaders. Honored as a Most Admired CEO in 2025 by the  Tampa Bay Business Journal, she also received the Above & Beyond Award from the News Service  of Florida in 2024 and 2025, the Arts Advocate of the Year Award from the St. Petersburg Arts  Alliance in 2022, and the Winnie Foster Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.  

Seixas and her husband, Greg, have four children and five grandchildren. 

Last updated Sept. 9, 2025

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