[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 13887-13888] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RECOGNIZING CHERYL A. THOMPSON FOR HER COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT ______ HON. JO BONNER of alabama in the house of representatives Thursday, July 22, 2010 Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and commend the exemplary public service of Cheryl A. Thompson, who recently retired as vice president of the Mobile Division of Alabama Power. As each of us has personally realized during times of stormy weather, there are few things that we depend upon more than electricity. For more than a decade, the person who was saddled with the immense responsibility of keeping the power on for more than 200,000 households and businesses in southwest Alabama has been Cheryl Thompson. Madam Speaker, the Gulf Coast is no stranger to bad weather and we've had our share of hurricanes and tropical storms since 1998, the year that Cheryl took the reins of the Mobile Division of Alabama Power. As the head of a team of over 400 personnel, she has ensured that we don't remain in the dark even when Mother Nature is at her worst. Equally important, however, Cheryl has brought much more to our community than just her role as the head of the Mobile Division for Alabama Power. She is an active supporter of many local organizations that enrich our lives and promote jobs. Cheryl is past chair and a member of the board of the Industrial Development Board of Mobile. She also serves on the boards of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, the executive council of the Mitchell College of Business at the University of South Alabama, the Mobile Symphony, and is past chairman of Leadership Alabama. [[Page 13888]] A native of Alexander City, Alabama, Cheryl holds degrees from Auburn University and the University of Alabama. She has completed the Advanced Management Program at Templeton University, Oxford, England, and the Women in Power Program at Harvard University. After joining Alabama Power in 1972, Cheryl worked for more than 2 decades in the Eastern and Birmingham Divisions in corporate marketing. She was named southeast region manager at Georgia Power in 1996, and took over Alabama Power's Mobile operations 2 years later. Cheryl has been a tremendously positive force in our community and on behalf of the many people in South Alabama who have benefited from her considerable talents, I join in wishing Cheryl and her wonderful husband, Jerry, a well-deserved happy, healthy and prosperous future. ____________________