Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Principal Officers;
Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

On January 27, 2009, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (the "Company") elected Sara Martinez Tucker to serve as a director of the Company. Ms. Tucker's initial term as a director will continue until the 2009 annual meeting of shareholders. The Board appointed Ms. Tucker to the Policy Committee.

Ms. Tucker was formerly undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education and the past president and chief executive officer of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

The Board has determined that Ms. Tucker is an "independent" director under the Company's Corporate Governance guidelines and the independence requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

As a non-employee director, Ms. Tucker will receive the same compensation paid to other non-employee directors of the Company in accordance with the policies and procedures previously approved by the Board for non-employee directors.

There are no arrangements between Ms. Tucker and any other person pursuant to which Ms. Tucker was elected to serve as a director, nor are there any transactions to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party and in which Ms. Tucker has a material interest.