Inducted: 1994

BS in Commerce, 1970

James E. Rogers Jr. is chairman of the board for Duke Energy, where he also served seven years as president and CEO. In 2009, Newsweek named him one of "The 50 Most Powerful People in the World." He has testified more than 20 times before U.S. Congressional Committees, and addressed international forums including the United Nations General Assembly, the World Economic Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative. Prior to joining Duke Energy, he served as chairman and CEO of Cinergy for more than 11 years, after serving PSI Energy as the company’s chairman, president and CEO.

A graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law, he has served as deputy general counsel for litigation and enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as partner in the Washington D.C. law office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, as well as assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.