FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) appointed Brian Harrell as Vice President and Chief Security Officer, the company announced April 9. Harrell previously served in senior roles within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

In his new role, Harrell will oversee corporate and field security, 24/7 security operations, cybersecurity, threat intelligence, risk and compliance, and security architecture and engineering. He will report to Chief Operating Officer Toby Thomas.

Harrell most recently served as Vice President and Chief Security Officer at Avangrid Energy, where he oversaw cybersecurity, physical security, intelligence, privacy and resilience programs across a multistate energy portfolio. He has also held enterprise security leadership roles at Duke Energy and North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

"Brian has led security programs that connect intelligence to action in complex, highly regulated environments," Thomas said. "That experience will be critical as we strengthen protections across our system and ensure our teams in the field have the tools, training and clarity they need to respond to evolving risks."

Harrell holds advanced degrees in homeland security and education, a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and professional certifications including Certified Information Security Manager and Certified Protection Professional.

FirstEnergy serves more than 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York through its electric distribution companies. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.