Penny Manuel began her career at Southern Company in 1982. She spent the first part of her career in engineering, maintenance, and fuel positions at Alabama Power plants Gorgas, Miller, and Gaston. She has also held various management positions in internal auditing, information technology, and human resources. In 2001 she was named chief information officer for Alabama Power and Southern Nuclear. She became the senior production officer for Gulf Power in 2005. Most recently, Manuel held the position of vice president of technical services for Southern Company Generation. Manuel earned a bachelor's degree in materials engineering from UAB. She also has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.