Former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln Elected to Entergy's Board of Directors

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Jan 31, 2011, 07:00 ET

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) today announced the election of former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln to its board of directors.

"We are pleased to add to the Entergy Board of Directors someone of Senator Lincoln's intellectual depth and wide range of experiences and accomplishments," said J. Wayne Leonard, Entergy's chairman and chief executive officer. "Her leadership in finding common ground and practical solutions for today's critical economic, environmental, social, and demographic issues made her one of the most respected members of Congress. Her advice and counsel will be invaluable to the board, shareholders and customers as we continue to define the corporation's role in the evolving world of increased transparency and social responsibility in the pursuit of the public good."

Lincoln, 50, served two terms as the U.S. senator from Arkansas. In 1998, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate at age 38. She was reelected to the Senate from Arkansas in 2004, receiving more than half a million votes. In the most recently concluded 111th Congress, Lincoln was chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. During her 12 years in the Senate, she also served on the Senate Finance Committee; Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Special Committee on Aging.

"I am very proud and honored to be asked to serve on the board of Entergy Corporation," said Lincoln. "During my time in Congress I had the pleasure of working with Entergy as a responsible corporate citizen that brought a problem solving mentality to issues facing my home state. The company has an outstanding legacy in Arkansas dating back to its roots as Arkansas Power and Light. I am excited about this opportunity and look forward to being a productive member of the board."

As senator, Lincoln was at the forefront of efforts in Congress to find bipartisan solutions. In 2009, she helped form the Moderate Dems Working Group, a coalition of 15 moderate Senate Democrats to work with Senate leadership and President Obama's new administration to craft common-sense solutions to our nation's most-pressing priorities. She also co-founded and currently co-chairs Third Way, a moderate think-tank dedicated to bipartisan solutions to "private-sector economic growth, a tough and smart security strategy, a clean energy revolution, bold education and anti-poverty reforms, and progress on divisive culture issues."

Prior to her election to the Senate, Lincoln represented Arkansas's First Congressional District from 1993 to 1997. Lincoln received a bachelor's degree in biology from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and studied at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.