FirstEnergy Corp. Names Bennett L. Gaines Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. announced that Bennett L. Gaines has been named vice president and chief information officer for FirstEnergy, effective January 31. Prior to joining FirstEnergy, Mr. Gaines was vice president and chief information officer at Cincinnati- based Cinergy Corporation. He will succeed C. John Daugherty, who has served as interim vice president and CIO since September 2005.

At Cinergy, Mr. Gaines was responsible for the delivery of all IT services, including the development of a corporate IT strategy and governance process, as well as telecommunications operations.

Before joining Cinergy in 2001, he was managing director, Business Services, at Powergen plc in the United Kingdom. He was responsible for the strategy and delivery of IT services and other shared services and for the establishment of a shared services center to handle all IT activities for Powergen. From 2000-2001, he was corporate director, Supply Chain and Operating Services, for LG&E Energy Corp. in Louisville, Ky., a subsidiary of Powergen. He was responsible for technology support of all supply chain processes and service deliveries.

From 1998-2000, he was employed by EDS Corporation in Dallas, Texas. As corporate director, Strategic Sourcing, he oversaw the strategic sourcing of all goods and services for EDS. He also served as EDS's director, Business Partners and Supplier Relationships.

From 1994-1998, Mr. Gaines worked for McKesson Corporation as vice president of customer operations in Dallas, Texas, and before that, as vice president of Financial and Business Services in San Francisco, Calif. From 1991-1994, he served as a regional sales manager and director of Marketing for Hamilton-Hallmark Corporation in Philadelphia, Pa., and Phoenix, Ariz., respectively. From 1978-1991, he worked for IBM Corporation in Minnesota as a Site Procurement manager and Manufacturing Logistics manager; Corporate Procurement manager; and Site Manufacturing and Logistics Planning manager.

Mr. Gaines received a master of arts degree from the University of Phoenix and he earned his bachelor of arts degree from Baldwin-Wallace College.

He has been involved in numerous civic and community organizations, including serving as a board member of Cincinnati-based Central Clinic and also on the board of 4C's for Children in Cincinnati. He also was the 2004 Corporate Chair for Cinergy's United Way Campaign and is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati. He is an active member of the CIO Roundtable and Information Technology Senior Management Forum.

Mr. Daugherty began his career at Ohio Edison in 1967 in the Warren Division and held several positions in meter reading, distribution, and customer accounting and was named supervisor of Customer Accounting in the Warren Division in 1978.

He was promoted to director of Customer Information in 1983; director of Customer Accounts and Customer Information System in 1988; manager of Customer Accounts in 1993; and director of Business Unit Support in 2001. His knowledge of IT-related processes is reflected in his involvement in several special projects, including Customer Information System; Customer Choice Implementation Task Force; the Information Technology Strategy Team; Program Management Office; and SAP Project Evolution.