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

On September 22, 2009, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (the "Company") elected James F. Cordes to serve as a director of the Company. Mr. Cordes' initial term as a director will continue until the 2010 annual meeting of shareholders. The Board appointed Mr. Cordes to the Policy Committee.

Mr. Cordes retired as executive vice president of The Coastal Corp. in 1997. He also served as president of American Natural Resources Co. and chairman and chief executive officer of ANR Pipeline Co. Mr. Cordes currently is a director of Comerica Inc. and Northeast Utilities.

The Board has determined that Mr. Cordes 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, Mr. Cordes 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 as disclosed in the Company's 2009 Proxy Statement.

There are no arrangements between Mr. Cordes and any other person pursuant to which Mr. Cordes 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 Mr. Cordes has a material interest.