SAN DIEGO, Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Debra L. Reed, who was elected chief executive officer and a director of Sempra Energy in June, has been named to Fortune magazine's 2011 list of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business," published online today.

This year marks the first time Reed has been recognized on this prestigious annual list, which was launched in 1998 to honor successful women in business.

For this year's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business," Fortune editors evaluated the top women in corporate America based on several criteria: the prosperity and global impact of their companies; career progression, milestones and accomplishments; and societal and cultural contributions.

Reed has worked for the Sempra Energy family of companies for 33 years.  Prior to her election as chief executive officer, she served as executive vice president of Sempra Energy.  Previously, she was president and chief executive officer of San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Co., Sempra Energy's regulated California utilities.  

Reed first joined Southern California Gas Co. in 1978 as an energy systems engineer.  In 1988, she became the first female officer appointed at the company.

Reed serves on the board of directors of Halliburton Co.  Previously, she was a board member of the American Gas Association, Genentech, Dominguez Services Corp. and Avery Dennison.

She also serves on the board of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (as chair), as well as on the advisory councils of UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering and the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford University.  Additionally, Reed is a member of The Trusteeship, an affiliate of the International Women's Forum.

Reed graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" list is available online at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-powerful-women/2011/full_list/ . The list also will be published in the Oct. 3 print edition of Fortune.

Sempra Energy's five principal subsidiaries are San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas Co., Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage and Sempra LNG.  Effective Jan. 1, 2012, Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage and Sempra LNG will be consolidated into two new operating units, Sempra International and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power.

Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2010 revenues of $9 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 17,500 employees serve more than 31 million consumers worldwide.

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SOURCE Sempra Energy