Virginia Natural Gas taps new CEO

Shannon O. Pierce will succeed Robert Duvall as CEO of Virginia Natural Gas when Duvall retires in April, according to an announcement by Southern Company Gas, parent company of the Virginia Beach utility.

A native of Surry, Pierce stepped into the roles of VNG president and senior vice president of Southern Company Gas, VNG’s parent company, on Sept. 28. A year ago, Pierce was named vice president of strategy and chief administrative officer for VNG, which delivers natural gas service to more than 310,000 customers in southeastern Virginia.

“We are incredibly grateful for Robert’s leadership and significant contributions to our company, customers and communities over decades of service,” Southern Company Gas Chairman, President and CEO Jim Kerr stated in a release. “Shannon brings extensive and unique leadership experiences into her new roles, which align with the company’s values and will help to build on Robert’s legacy of success.”

Duvall has led VNG twice. He served as the utility’s president from 2014 to 2016 before returning to Virginia Beach in 2020 to lead the utility through the pandemic. In between, Duvall worked as senior vice president of customer operations, safety and technical training for Southern Company Gas.

Duvall began his career in 1984 as a distribution engineer at Atlanta Gas Light, also a subsidiary of Southern Company Gas.

Pierce started out as a lawyer for McGuireWoods in Richmond and joined Southern Gas in 2004. Previously, she served as vice president of growth and chief external affairs officer at SouthStar Energy Services, another Southern Company Gas subsidiary. She earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.