Dominion Energy COO Diane Leopold to retire after nearly three decades

Dominion Energy Chief Operating Officer Diane Leopold plans to retire from the Fortune 500 utility this summer after working for nearly four decades in the industry.

Leopold, who will remain as COO and executive vice president until she steps down on June 1, 2025, oversees major construction projects such as Dominion’s $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project and Charybdis, the first U.S.-built wind turbine installation vessel.

In the coming months, Leopold will transfer utility and contracted energy duties to Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, and Eric Carr, Dominon Energy’s chief nuclear officer.

Leopold, who earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, got her start with Dominion as a power station engineer in 1995. Previously, she led Dominion’s gas infrastructure group, was vice president of financial management and business planning, and served as senior vice president of Dominion Transmission. Prior to joining Dominion, she held engineering positions at Potomac Electric Power.

Leopold sits on the boards of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, a mutual insurance company with headquarters in Delaware, and of Markel Group, the Fortune 500 insurance company based in Glen Allen. She is also a board member of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the World Pediatric Project.

“Diane is one of the brightest, most dedicated, and most capable people in our company and in our industry,” Dominion Energy Chair, CEO and President Bob Blue stated in a news release. “Over her 36 years in the utility industry, she’s demonstrated best-in-class performance in nearly all areas of operations, business development, financial planning [and] corporate strategy, as well as the construction of several multibillion-dollar energy infrastructure projects. … When she retires in June, she’ll leave behind a deep and capable bench of talented leaders, including Ed and Eric, due to her deliberate focus on developing her team members.”

Baine’s new title will be president of utility operations and Dominion Energy Virginia. He will continue overseeing operations of

an electric utility serving 2.8 million accounts in the commonwealth and northeast North Carolina. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, Baine will assume additional responsibilities for Dominion Energy South Carolina, which serves 800,000 electric utility accounts and 500,000 gas utility accounts. Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, will report to Baine.

Baine joined Dominion in 1995 as an associate engineer after graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech. He has held numerous leadership positions at the company, including senior vice president of distribution, power delivery group and senior vice president of power delivery for Dominion Energy Virginia.

As chief nuclear officer and now president of nuclear operations, Carr will continue to be responsible for the company’s nuclear operations at four stations in three states. On Jan. 1, 2025, Carr will take responsibility for the utility’s contracted energy business segment, which includes Millstone Power Station, a nuclear power plant in Connecticut, long-term contracted solar generation assets and a renewable natural gas portfolio.

In March, Gov. Glenn Younkin appointed Carr, who has an engineering degree from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Widener University in Pennsylvania, to the board of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority.

Carr joined Dominion Energy in 2023. Previously, he was president and chief nuclear officer for PSEG Nuclear in New Jersey. There, he oversaw 1,600 employees and operations at the Hope Creek and Salem nuclear generating stations.

Dominion Energy provides regulated electricity service to 3.6 million homes and businesses in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as regulated natural gas service to 500,000 customers in South Carolina. The company also develops and operates regulated offshore wind and solar power. Dominon Energy, which boasts 17,000 employees, reported $14.4 billion in revenue for 2023.