CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today announced executive vice president, chief generation officer and enterprise operational excellence, Preston Gillespie's decision to retire after 40 years of dedicated service to the company. To support a smooth transition, Preston will remain on board through March 1, 2027, and beginning March 1, 2026, will have responsibility for guiding the Company's critical decision about new nuclear.

"Our customers rely on us for dependable, affordable energy, while a rapidly changing world demands greater speed, agility and innovation," said Harry Sideris, president and chief executive officer. "The depth of leadership talent and thoughtful transition provides the continuity that allows the company to deliver today and invest for the future – supporting the growth we are delivering for our communities across our service territories.

"On behalf of everyone at Duke Energy, I want to thank Preston for his decades of dedicated service to the company," continued Sideris. "Over the course of 40-plus years, Preston has been an invaluable asset whose leadership and commitment have shaped our culture and driven our generation and operational excellence division to new heights. His unwavering focus on safety, performance and cost efficiency has set the standard for our industry and inspired those around him."

Gillespie's leadership has included responsibility for the safe, reliable and efficient operations of Duke Energy's fleet generating capacity of over 50,000 megawatts. He previously served as Duke Energy's chief nuclear officer. In this role, he was responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the nation's largest regulated nuclear generating fleet in the nation. He joined the company in 1986 as an assistant engineer at Oconee Nuclear Station, where he earned his senior reactor operator license and held positions in a variety of roles in engineering and operations.

New Leadership Appointments – Effective March 1, 2026

Kelvin Henderson will be appointed senior vice president, chief generation officer and enterprise operational excellence and will join the company's senior management committee, reporting to Sideris. Henderson currently serves as senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. As chief generation officer, Henderson will manage a vast portfolio of generation assets as the company expands to meet growing energy demand while keeping costs to customers as low as possible. With more than 35 years of nuclear experience, including the last five years as chief nuclear officer at Duke Energy, Kelvin brings extensive expertise to his new position.
Steven Capps will assume the role of senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, reporting to Henderson. Capps is currently senior vice president, new nuclear development and operations support. He has served in a variety of roles at Duke Energy for over three decades, where he has held significant leadership roles within the nuclear division.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

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SOURCE Duke Energy

Duke Energy announces leadership changes in its generation and operational excellence organization