Susan N. Story has been the face of American Water Works since May 2014, taking charge as President and CEO. Before this, she held important positions like Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the same company. Her experience...

Susan N. Story has been the face of American Water Works since May 2014, taking charge as President and CEO. Before this, she held important positions like Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the same company. Her experience runs deep—over 30 years with Southern Company, where she played pivotal roles including President and CEO of Gulf Power Company. In her time at American Water, she focused on aligning the company's performance with shareholder interests, pushing for results that matter. During her last full year in 2020, she made a solid $4.07 million, but her retirement came with no bonuses due to her stepping down. Her leadership style emphasizes clear performance metrics and a commitment to sustainable growth.

Quick Links

1. Rivals

2. Holdings

3. Insider Trading

4. Compensation History

5. Other American Water Works CEOs

A

Susan N. Story

Ex-CEO of American Water Works

Field of Expertise

Energy & Utilities - Utilities

Sector of Economy

Utilities

Born

January 1, 1960 - 65 years ago

CEO of American Water Works for

7 years 0 months (Apr 2013 - Apr 2020)

Previous Experience

President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Company Services

Rivals

Competitors/colleagues of Susan N. Story

A

Robert J. Sprowls

CEO of American States Water

2023 Compensation

Stock

$1.51M

Salary

$924.52K

Bonus

$300.00K

Other

$29.52K

Total Holdings

$14.44M

C

Patricia Kessler Poppe

CEO of CMS Energy

2023 Compensation

Stock

$0.00

Salary

$1.24M

Bonus

$1.95M

Other

$23.85K

Total Holdings

$26.21M

G

Ron L. Fleming

CEO of Global Water Resources

2023 Compensation

Stock

$393.00K

Salary

$350.00K

Bonus

$175.00K

Other

$18.73K

Total Holdings

$149.34K

E

Christopher H. Franklin

CEO of Essential Utilities

2023 Compensation

Stock

$2.47M

Salary

$985.58K

Bonus

$0.00

Other

$20.56K

Total Holdings

$11.88M

Holdings

See how much did Susan N. Story make over time.

Susan N. Story has seen some pretty significant ups and downs in her stock holdings at American Water Works. In 2020, she peaked, cashing out $20.80 million worth of stocks in January, but her holdings fluctuated throughout that year. The...

Susan N. Story has seen some pretty significant ups and downs in her stock holdings at American Water Works. In 2020, she peaked, cashing out $20.80 million worth of stocks in January, but her holdings fluctuated throughout that year. The months that followed had values between $4.43 million to $21.65 million, reflecting the company's performance in a shaky market. Over the years, she held sizable shares, peaking again close to her retirement, indicating confidence in the company. By her retirement in April 2020, her stock holdings demonstrated a thoughtful strategy, showing her commitment until the very end of her tenure.

Mar 18, 2025

A

shares

AWK @ $144.75

N

shares

NEM @ $47.81

R

shares

RJF @ $NaN

S

shares

SO @ $90.23

Total Stock Sold

$14.99M

SO

$11.76M

259,155 SO shares

AWK

$3.23M

28,457 AWK shares

What if they kept their stock?

If Susan N. Story didn't sell their stock, today they would have:
Extra SO259,155 shares worth $14.05M and AWK28,457 shares worth $3.39M.
This is 16.36% and $2.45M more than what they got when they sold the stock.

Charitable Transactions

AWK

195 shares

AWK

Recent Charitable Transactions

AWK

96 shares

AWK

Nov 27, 2018

Charity

AWK

60 shares

AWK

Nov 6, 2017

Charity

AWK

39 shares

AWK

Nov 30, 2016

Charity

Insider Trading

See recent insider trades of Susan N. Story.

NEM

4,212 shares

NEM

Apr 26, 2024

Received

NEM

51 shares

NEM

Nov 6, 2023

Received

NEM

3,797 shares

NEM

Apr 28, 2023

Received

NEM

2,415 shares

NEM

Apr 22, 2022

Received

NEM

2,888 shares

NEM

Apr 29, 2021

Received

NEM

1,485 shares

NEM

Sep 11, 2020

Received

AWK

7,758 shares

AWK

Feb 11, 2020

Received

AWK

34,431 shares

AWK

Jan 22, 2020

Received

AWK

$3.24M

AWK at $113.84/share

May 28, 2019

Sale

AWK

10,257 shares

AWK

Feb 14, 2019

Received

Compensation History

See how much did Susan N. Story make over time.

In 2020, Susan Story earned a total of $4.07 million, a mix of salary, vested stock, and other benefits. Her salary was $323,077, with a notable portion coming from vested stock worth about $1.05 million from shares that had to be held until retirement. Notably, she did not receive any bonus in 2020 due to her retirement plans. Her previous year, 2019, brought in about $5.92 million, underscoring a strong performance-based compensation philosophy, where rewards are tightly linked to company achievements and shareholder interests. In the years leading up to her retirement, her pay showed a solid connection to the firm's growth and customer satisfaction metrics.

Year

2020

Total Compensation

$1.62M

Salary

$323.08K

Board Justification

The compensation philosophy emphasizes pay-for-performance, aligning executive compensation with company performance and shareholder interests.

Bonus

$0.00

Board Justification

No bonus was awarded for 2020 due to retirement effective April 1, 2020.

Other

$249.35K

Board Justification

Includes various benefits such as executive physicals, life insurance, and contributions to deferred compensation plans.

Restricted Stock

$1.05M(7.76K RSU)

Board Justification

7,758 RSUs granted on February 11, 2020, vested based on continued employment until retirement.

Performance Metrics

Performance metrics include EPS growth and total shareholder return relative to peers.

Other American Water Works CEOs

Here are other CEOs of American Water Works

Jeffry E. Sterba

Ex-CEO of American Water Works

August 2010 - April 2013

Walter J. Lynch

Ex-CEO of American Water Works

April 2020 - February 2022