COLUMBUS, Ohio—FirstEnergy Corp. announced Monday that company president Steven Strah will now also become its CEO, as the Akron-based utility works to emerge from the cloud of the House Bill 6 bribery scandal.
Strah had been FirstEnergy’s acting CEO since last October, when the company fired CEO Chuck Jones and two other executives for violating “certain FirstEnergy policies and its code of conduct.” He will continue to oversee FirstEnergy’s day-to-day operations as company president, a title he has held since May of 2020.
After starting as a meter reader for the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. in 1984, Strah has gradually moved up in the company ranks, holding a variety of positions in the Midwest and the East for five of FirstEnergy’s subsidiaries. He has been based at FirstEnergy headquarters in Akron since 2006.
“Steve has consistently demonstrated the leadership skills, strategic acumen, and deep knowledge of our business needed to position FirstEnergy for long-term stability and success,” said Donald T. Misheff, non-executive chairman, in a release. “Since his appointment as acting CEO, he has taken meaningful steps to put FirstEnergy on the right path forward, including ensuring a renewed emphasis on compliance and transparency throughout the company.”
FirstEnergy is facing multiple investigations and lawsuits over its role in the House Bill 6 scandal, in which ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder stands accused of using $60 million in FirstEnergy bribe money to push through a law giving a (now-former) FirstEnergy subsidiary a $1 billion-plus ratepayer bailout of its two nuclear power plants and guaranteeing FirstEnergy a lucrative annual revenue.
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