LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced that Denita Willoughby has been named regional vice president of external affairs for the company.

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"We are pleased to welcome Denita to our management team at SoCalGas," said Dennis V. Arriola, president and chief operating officer of SoCalGas. "She has extensive governmental and community affairs experience and is well known for her leadership in the greater Los Angeles community."

As vice president of external affairs for SoCalGas, Willoughby will lead the company's community relations, public affairs and media and employee communications efforts. 

Previously, Willoughby was chief executive officer of The Willoughby Group, a management consulting firm she founded that specializes in executive services, business development and government relations.

Before starting her own firm, Willoughby was with AT&T for more than 15 years. From 2006 to 2011, she served as vice president of external affairs and led the company's local government and community affairs activities in the Greater Los Angeles area.  At AT&T, Willoughby also served as vice president of TV Programming for the company's U-Verse television venture and as regional sales vice president for SBC Communications.

Named by the California Diversity Magazine as one of the Most Powerful and Influential Women in California, Willoughby has a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She serves on the boards of Green Dot Public Schools, Vision to Learn, UNITE LA and California Institute of the Arts.

About Southern California Gas Co.

Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years.  It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 20.9 million consumers connected through nearly 5.8 million meters in more than 500 communities.  The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. 

Southern California Gas Co. is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE).  Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2011 revenues of $10 billion.  The Sempra Energy companies' 17,500 employees serve more than 31 million consumers worldwide. 

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.