Mr William Cavanaugh III is the Chairman of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), a position to which he was elected in July 2004. He previously served on the WANO Governing Board, and as the Atlanta Center Chairman. Mr Cavanaugh is the retired Chairman and CEO of Progress Energy, a Raleigh, N.C.-based diversified energy holding company serving 2.8 million electric and natural gas customers in the Carolinas and Florida.

Mr Cavanaugh came to CP&L, the predecessor of Progress Energy, in 1992 after a 23-year career at Entergy Corp. and its subsidiaries. At Entergy, he held a number of management positions, including Group President of Energy Supply; Chairman, President and CEO of Entergy Operations Inc.; and Chairman, President and CEO of System Energy Resources Inc. Earlier in his career at Entergy, he held management positions with Arkansas Power & Light, Louisiana Power & Light and Mississippi Power & Light. He assumed the role of CEO of CP&L in 1996 and was named Chairman in 1999.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Mr Cavanaugh earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tulane University in 1961. He also has completed several utility management programs and the Harvard University Advanced Management Program. He served an eight-year tour with the U.S. Navy, primarily in the nuclear-powered submarine program.

Mr Cavanaugh presently serves as a member of The National Academy of Engineering; the board of visitors at the University of North Carolina Kenan Flagler School of Business; and the Advisory Board of Tulane’s School of Engineering. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Research Triangle Foundation.