Patricia Leonard Kampling is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT), a Madison, Wisconsin-based energy company that provides safe, reliable, and affordable electricity and natural gas service to nearly 1.5 million customers in Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy also has ownership interests in American Transmission Company, Great Western Wind, and Alliant Energy Transportation.

Kampling joined Alliant Energy in 2005 as vice president of finance, and was named chief financial officer in 2009. In 2011, she was named president and chief operating officer and, in 2012, she assumed the role of chairman and CEO, a position she held until her retirement in July 2019.

Under Kampling’s leadership, the company consistently met its financial and operational objectives while also achieving creative and constructive regulatory outcomes. In addition, Kampling guided the company on its journey toward a cleaner, smarter energy future with a focus that promoted environmental stewardship while ensuring customers had access to a more resilient energy grid and a diverse, sustainable energy mix. Alliant has also been an industry leader in emission reductions, the early retirement of fossil generation, and accelerating investments in wind and solar.

A strong advocate of workforce development and community vitality, Kampling actively supports STEM-related education programs and partnerships with non-profit organizations that focus on education, families and the environment. Throughout Kampling’s leadership tenure, Alliant Energy enhanced its culture of safety, diversity and employee well-being with an array of programs and opportunities that foster employee diversity, health, and personal and professional growth. Kampling has presented at various energy, engineering, women’s leadership and STEM events, and has been the keynote speaker at the business schools at the University of Chicago, University of Colorado, and University of Wisconsin.

Kampling is in an elite group as one of the few women to have led an S&P 500 company, and Alliant is routinely recognized nationally for achieving gender parity on its Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Alliant Energy, Kampling spent more than 20 years at Exelon Corporation, where she began her career as an engineer with PECO. She quickly rose through the ranks and ultimately served as treasurer of Commonwealth Edison and senior vice president and CFO for Exelon Enterprises.

Kampling holds degrees in both engineering and economics from Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pa.), an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School, and received her Professional Engineer License. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) and American Water Works Company (NYSE:AWK). Kampling is also on the Board of Trustees of Fidelity Equity and High Income Funds and the Wisconsin chapter of The Nature Conservancy.