(New York) - Alabama Power Company Senior Vice President Robert Holmes, Jr. today began a two year term as chair of the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association (ECOA). The ECOA is the world's largest membership organization for professionals managing ethics, compliance and business conduct programs. ECOA membership includes 62 of the Fortune 100 companies and its 1,200 members are based in more than 20 countries around the world.

"The work of this organization has a tangible impact on how business and institutions operate and are perceived," Holmes said. "It is our imperative to demonstrate a more visible commitment, stronger performance and improved ethics and compliance results in all of our places of work. It is with great enthusiasm that I accept this leadership role and the challenges that our mission represents."

Holmes, who had been vice chair of ECOA, succeeds Baxter International Vice President and Counsel Gretchen Winter. International Paper's Director of Ethics and Business Practices James D. Berg becomes the new vice chair of ECOA.

Holmes joined Alabama Power in 1970 as a draftsman. Since that time he has been a senior engineer, support manager at Barry Steam Plant, district manager in West Mobile, vice president of Human Resources and assumed the position of senior vice president for Ethics and Corporate Concerns in 2001.

Holmes received his bachelor's degree from Alabama A&M University and his engineering degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has participated in graduate studies at the University of Georgia and Harvard University. He is on the board of directors for the Boy Scouts of America Greater Birmingham Council, Alabama A&M University, Samford University, Josephson Institute of Ethics, Alabama Symphony and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. He is actively involved in Character Counts! In 2000, he received the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Berg received his B.A. degree from Northwestern University and his M.P.A. degree from Princeton University. A Peace Corps volunteer, he later worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Security Council and the Department of State. Berg was named by the first President Bush as executive vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and, later, as OPIC's President and Chief Executive Officer. Berg joined International Paper in 1993 in the Office of the Chairman, was named Director Finance (CFO) for International Paper Europe in 1994, and returned to the U.S. in 1998 as Director, Ethics and Business Practices.

Handing over the chair to Holmes, Winter said, "I've been privileged to serve as the ECOA board chair during a time of international and domestic growth for the organization. Corporations, governments and not-for-profit organizations around the world have begun to grapple with the challenges of incorporating ethics and compliance into the day-to-day business. As Robert and Jim take on ECOA leadership responsibilities, the organization is well positioned to further engage ethics officers and global business leadership in meaningful discussions about keeping business ethics and compliance a strategic priority."

About the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association

The Ethics & Compliance Officer Association (ECOA) is the world's largest membership organization for individuals who are responsible for their organization's ethics, compliance, and business conduct programs. The ECOA brings together people who are new to the field as well as those with years of experience to share. Members have access to information, benchmarking, networking, and education through conferences, forums, web casts, newsletters, and an ethics and compliance resource library. ECOA membership includes 62% of the Fortune 100, and its members are based in over 20 countries throughout the world.

For more information on ECOA membership or upcoming events, please visit www.theecoa.org or call +1 781-647-9333.

Ethics and Compliance Officer Association

Ethics and Compliance Officer Association

The ECOA is a nonconsulting, member-driven association exclusively serving individuals responsible for their organization's ethics, compliance, and business conduct programs. Dedicated to building trust and organizational integrity worldwide, the ECOA is the most-respected group of ethics and compliance practitioners in the world. By gathering those new to the field along with seasoned professionals, the ECOA facilitates peer-to-peer learning and helps to foster a global commitment to business ethics and integrity. Over 1,250 ECOA members represent nearly 525 organizations worldwide in over 30 industries. The ECOA hosts the ethics and compliance community's largest annual conference as well as professional development workshops, webcasts, and regional forums that offer its members invaluable learning and discussion. In addition, the ECOA publishes daily news updates and houses an e-Library containing ethics and compliance program materials from hundreds of organizations, along with training videos, DVDs, magazines, and books. To learn more about the ECOA, please visit www.theecoa.org or call 781-647-9333.

More from Ethics and Compliance Officer Association