By Michael Dabaie

Southern Co. said its board named Kristine Svinicki, former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman, as an independent director.

Ms. Svinicki joins the Business Security and Resiliency Committee and the Operations, Environmental and Safety Committee, the energy company said.

"As the longest serving member in the history of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Kristine brings to Southern Company a wealth of experience advising energy policy at the federal and state levels," Southern Chief Executive Officer Thomas Fanning said.

Ms. Svinicki was appointed a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by three U.S. presidents, becoming the organization's longest-serving member. She was designated chairman of the NRC on January 23, 2017 and stepped down as chairman earlier this year.

Before joining the NRC, Ms. Svinicki spent more than a decade as a staff member in the U.S. Senate.

Previously, she was a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Department of Energy's Washington, D.C. Offices of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, and of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, as well as its Idaho Operations Office.

Write to Michael Dabaie at michael.dabaie@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

10-18-21 0918ET