Kimberly Hughes, P.E.
About Kimberly Hughes, P.E.
Kimberly Hughes, P.E. is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at American Electric Power, where she has worked since 2021. She has extensive experience in environmental engineering and management, having previously held roles at American Electric Power and Honeywell, and holds advanced degrees in Environmental Management and Business Administration.
Current Role as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager
Kimberly Hughes serves as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at American Electric Power (AEP) since 2021. In this role, she manages and provides strategic guidance for AEP's eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and DEI Liaisons. Hughes facilitates annual roundtable meetings with AEP’s CEO and executive leadership team, ensuring that diversity and inclusion initiatives align with corporate objectives. She also partners with the Corporate Sustainability organization to contribute to the annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.
Previous Experience at American Electric Power
Prior to her current position, Kimberly Hughes held various roles at American Electric Power from 2001 to 2021. She worked as a Principal Environmental Engineer and later as an Environmental Engineering Supervisor. During her tenure, she facilitated the first-ever DEI Summit for leaders at AEP and led the execution of AEP's first DEI Pulse Survey in collaboration with Gallup, Inc. Hughes was also a contributing member of the ESJ Steering Committee at AEP.
Professional Background Before AEP
Before joining American Electric Power, Kimberly Hughes worked at Honeywell as a Project Engineer from 2000 to 2001. She also served as an Emissions Evaluator at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from 1999 to 2000. These roles provided her with a strong foundation in environmental management and engineering, which she later applied in her positions at AEP.
Education and Academic Credentials
Kimberly Hughes holds a Master of Science (M.S.) in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus, which she completed from 2009 to 2013. She also earned a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the same institution in 2014. Additionally, Hughes graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Her educational background supports her expertise in environmental management and business administration.
Leadership Development and Initiatives
Kimberly Hughes graduated from the 2020/2021 AEP-wide Targeted Development Leadership Program, where she served as Project Team Lead for the PSO/SWEPCO Strategic Plan and AEP Breakthrough Objective focused on Customer Experience. This program highlights her commitment to leadership development and strategic planning within the organization.