Annual lectureship to feature engineer and energy expert Charles R. Black

Charles R. Black, president of Black & Black Consulting Services, LLC, will be the eighth speaker in Darlington School’s annual Class of 1953 Lectureship Series. He will deliver his address, titled “Energy, Economics and the Environment,” to Upper School students and faculty on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. in Morris Chapel.

According to class agent Mike Luxenberg (’53), the lectureship was established in April 2003 to commemorate the class’ 50th reunion. “It was a wonderful opportunity for each of us to help Darlington continue its tradition of providing an outstanding education for all students, and also a means for us to say ‘thank you’ for the fine education we received at Darlington,” Luxenberg said.

From 2004 to 2009, Black was president of Tampa Electric Co., an investor-owned utility with 660,000 customers, annual revenues of $2.4 billion and 2,450 employees. In this role, he led the effort to modernize the company’s generating fleet while implementing an aggressive emissions reduction strategy. He managed the repowering of the coal-fired facility into a natural gas plant ahead of schedule and below budget.

A Tampa Electric employee for over 35 years, Black’s previous positions included senior vice president for generation, vice president of energy supply and vice president of project management. Among his responsibilities was the management of the engineering, construction and commissioning of the Polk Power Station, a 250MW IGCC plant that has generated more electricity from clean coal technology than any plant in the world.

A professional engineer, Black holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Florida. He has also served as president of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, vice chairman of the Board of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council, and as a member of the Board of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies. He currently serves as vice chairman of the University of South Florida College of Engineering’s Advisory Board and as chair-elect of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.