Southern Company
Dr. Charles Goodman had a long career in electric utility research and development -- primarily with regard to developing and improving coal-to-energy processes and in addressing the public policy issues associated with coal utilization. His many contributions span heat transfer, emissions controls, environmental science, and advanced generation technologies.
For Southern Company, Dr. Goodman was the Senior Vice President for Generation Policy. In 2005, he assumed this position in preparation for retirement in early 2007. His responsibilities included serving as Chairman of the Board for the FutureGen Industrial Alliance which expects to deploy a full-scale near zero emission coal-fueled power plant.
He is a member of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences Board on Energy and Environmental Systems. He is a member of the Academies' committee that is preparing a report entitled "America's Energy Future." As part of this work he is serving on working groups that are addressing fossil and renewable energy resources.
He serves on the Directorate Review Committee for the Energy and Environment Directorate of Pacific Northwest National Laboratories. In this capacity he also serves on the Directorate's Advisory Committee for Energy Conversion Initiatives.
He is a member of the Research and Development Advisory Council for the Babcock and Wilcox Company.
He serves on the Science and Engineering Board of Advisors at Tulane University and on the Engineering Advisory Board of the University of Texas at Arlington.
Prior to 2006 Dr. Goodman held the position of Senior Vice President for Research and Environmental Policy. In that position he served as the chief environmental officer for Southern Company. He also directed research & development, environmental policy, environmental research, and compliance strategy development efforts for Southern Company as it developed cleaner and more efficient ways to meet the energy needs of its customers. He served for many years on the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) Research Advisory Committee and was chair of its Environment Sector Council. He chaired the Utility Air Regulatory Group (UARG is a trade group that addresses EPA rulemakings), and was a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act Advisory Committee. His responsibilities have included oversight of the Power Systems Development Facility-the United States' premier clean coal technology research center -- in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In addition, he was responsible for the development and execution of four DOE Clean Coal Technology projects that provided new emissions control options that have been applied to the industry's conventional power plants. He is a Life Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Dr. Goodman received his PhD and Masters degrees in mechanical engineering from Tulane University and his undergraduate degree from University of Texas at Arlington. Charles and his wife, Pat, have two daughters.