Julie Janson is executive vice president, external affairs, chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Duke Energy. She is the primary legal advisor to Duke Energy’s board of directors and senior management, and she leads the Office of the General Counsel, which includes the company’s legal, corporate governance and ethics and compliance functions. In addition, Janson oversees the corporate communications, federal government affairs, strategic policy and sustainability functions, stakeholder strategy and the Duke Energy Foundation.
Previously, Janson served as president of Duke Energy’s utility operations in Ohio and Kentucky, serving approximately 1 million natural gas and electric customers in southwest Ohio and approximately 230,000 customers in six Northern Kentucky counties. Having led the Ohio/Kentucky utility operations since 2008, Janson assumed her current position in December 2012.
Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of ethics and compliance, and corporate secretary for Duke Energy, a position she held since 2006. Before that, she served as corporate secretary and chief compliance officer for Cinergy Corp. She was appointed chief compliance officer in 2004 and corporate secretary in 2000.
From 1998 to 2004, Janson served as senior counsel, providing advice on general corporate, corporate governance and securities-related matters. From 1996 to 1998, Janson served as counsel for Cinergy, providing research, advice and support for divestitures, mergers and acquisitions, and several internal clients including investor relations, shareholder services, corporate communications and government and regulatory affairs. She also served as corporate counsel to the international business unit. She was manager of investor relations for Cinergy from 1995 to 1996.
Prior to joining Cinergy, Janson was corporate attorney for The Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company (CG&E), playing a role in the merger of CG&E and PSI Energy, which formed Cinergy Corp. Before joining CG&E, she served as a law clerk with Adams, Brooking, Stepner, Wolterman & Dusing in Covington, Ky.
She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky.
Janson is a member of the bar associations of Ohio and Kentucky, with legal experience that spans nearly 30 years. She is a member of the DirectWomen Board Institute Class of 2011, a program designed to identify and promote accomplished female lawyers to serve on corporate boards of public companies.
Janson is active in a number of community and professional activities. She is a member of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Legal Committee, director of the North Carolina Chamber Legal Institute and vice chair of Economic Development for the Charlotte Chamber Executive Committee. She serves on the board of directors of The Ohio National Life Insurance Co. and Ohio National Financial Services Inc. and on the board of trustees for Queens University. She is also a member of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati and serves as a trustee for the Duke Energy Foundation.
Janson chaired the Cincinnati Business Committee and co-chaired the Economic Development Task Force. She chaired the board of directors and the executive committee of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. She was also a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Ohio Business Roundtable, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Vision 2015 CEO Roundtable in Northern Kentucky.
Janson served on the Climate Protection Steering Committee, appointed by the Cincinnati City Council, and was a board member of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), the University of Cincinnati Foundation and Cintrifuse. She served as vice chair of the 2012 World Choir Games and chaired the city of Cincinnati’s 2010 Fine Arts Fund Campaign. She has also served on the boards of directors of Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED), Vision 2015 Regional Stewardship Council, United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Lighthouse Youth Services.
Janson and her husband, Chip, have two daughters.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States. Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure business unit serves approximately 7.5 million customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. The company’s Gas Utilities and Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the United States.
Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.