Vice President, Power Delivery and Division Operations

Melvin Roland joined Mississippi Power’s Management Council as vice president of Power Delivery and Division Operations in February 2024. His responsibilities include operating and maintaining the company’s reliable electric system that serves more than 191,000 customers in southeast Mississippi. He oversees the Coast and Northern divisions, Power Delivery and Supply Chain.

Prior to his role as vice president, Roland served since January 2022 as the Distribution General Manager where he led Power Delivery Operations, Metering, and Power Delivery Shared Services, which included Vegetation Management, Fleet, and Contract Management.

He has spent his entire career with Southern Company, beginning in 2000 as an engineer at Georgia Power in Substation Design. In 2005, he moved to Mississippi Power to lead Substation Construction where he was responsible for all capital projects for the company. In 2008, he transitioned to Substation Maintenance where he led multiple teams in completing all maintenance activities. 

Roland became the Transmission System Operations Manager in 2011 to oversee the company’s Transmission Control Center and its support group where he ensured the Transmission grid was available, reliable, and fully compliant. Roland advanced in 2014 to the Northern Division as Distribution Manager and returned to the Coast Division in 2018 as the Transmission Lines and Substations Manager. In January 2021, Roland was named Transmission General Manager. 

He completed a dual degree program at Morris Brown College and the Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering. He also earned an MBA with a concentration in finance from Georgia State University.

Roland is a 2023 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast. He was an integral part of gaining the funding and establishing the junior chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers where he was a co-sponsor of the organization on the Gulf Coast. Roland has served on the American Red Cross Community Board and the Moss Point Mayor’s Advisory Committee. He is an active supporter of Biloxi High and Biloxi Junior High basketball teams.