AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER CO INC

The Criteria also includes the Company’s statement regarding how the Board considers diversity in identifying nominees for our Board. The Criteria provides:

Two central objectives in selecting board members and continued board service are that the skills, experiences and perspectives of the Board as a whole should be broad and diverse, and that the talents of all members of the Board should blend together to be as effective as possible. Diversity in gender, race, age, tenure of board service, geography and background of directors, consistent with the Board’s requirements for knowledge, standards and experience, are desirable in the mix of the Board.

Our Corporate Governance Committee considers these criteria each year as it determines the slate of director nominees to recommend to the Board for election at our annual meeting. It also considers these criteria each time a new director is recommended for election or appointment to the Board. The Corporate Governance Committee is committed to including in each director search qualified candidates who reflect diverse backgrounds, including diversity of gender, race and ethnicity. The Board believes that its implementation of this policy is effective in maintaining the diversity of the members of the Board.

Understanding the importance of Board composition and refreshment for effective oversight, the Corporate Governance Committee strives to maintain an appropriate balance of tenure, diversity, skills and experience on the Board. Below are highlights of the composition of our director nominees: