Shawn Shurden became vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, and chief compliance officer at Mississippi Power in July 2022.
In these roles, he is responsible for leadership over Corporate Governance as well as the business functions of Regulatory Affairs, Risk Management and Claims, Compliance and Concerns, Records Management, Physical Security, Environmental Affairs and General Services.
Shurden joined Mississippi Power in 2018 as regulatory affairs manager, serving as the principal liaison with the Mississippi Public Service Commission. He led the company to win-win regulatory efforts for the 2019 retail base rate case, the Reserve Margin Plan and the Integrated Resource Plan rulemaking and implementation. In 2021, he began serving as Senior Counsel and Director of Corporate Security, Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs.
He started his legal career as a law clerk to Justice Ed Pittman of the Mississippi Supreme Court and then for Judge Walter Gex of the Federal District Court in Biloxi. He practiced law in the private and public sectors, including serving as a special assistant attorney general for Mississippi.
Shurden was general counsel to the Mississippi Public Service Commission for seven years where he was responsible for all legal and policy matters as well as directing the work of outside counsel and consultants. He is co-author of “Public Utilities Regulation” in the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law and has taught as an adjunct professor at the Mississippi College School of Law.
He holds a law degree from the College of William and Mary as well as a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Delta State University.