Senior Vice President – Communications & Marketing
Melissa McHenry is senior vice president, Communications & Marketing, leading the team responsible for enterprise-wide internal and external communications, reputation management, marketing, brand management, policy communications, digital communications channels, social media engagement, creative services, and corporate contributions and community relations.
McHenry previously was managing director, External Communications, with responsibility for the development and execution of AEP’s external communications strategy including corporate media relations, federal and Ohio public policy communications, executive communications, crisis management, social media engagement and the company’s external web sites.
McHenry has held progressive leadership roles in media relations and external communications at AEP since 2002 and previously led internal and external communications for AEP’s Kentucky Power operating utility subsidiary.
Before joining AEP, McHenry worked as Communications Officer for the Attorney General of West Virginia and in public relations and marketing at a hospital in Ashland, Kentucky.
McHenry has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., where she was a Yeager Scholar. She is accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America and completed the G100 Women’s Leadership Acceleration Program, the ELI Leadership Development Lab and the AEP/Ohio State Strategic Leadership program. She also is a graduate of Leadership Columbus and Leadership Kentucky.
McHenry serves as vice chair of the governing board for Children’s Hunger Alliance and is a member of the boards of directors for The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and WOSU Public Media.
McHenry lives in Dublin, Ohio, loves to travel and has a daughter attending Ohio University in Athens.