The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors has unanimously
elected V. Lynn Evans of Memphis, TN, to serve as chair.
Evans is the first African-American to serve as chair in TVA’s 83-year history. She is also the first female and first Memphian to chair the board, the next meeting of which is set for Feb. 16 in Gatlinburg, TN.
“I am honored that my fellow board members have confidence in my abilities to serve as chair,” Evans said. “TVA has made great strides in the past four years to improve its financial and operational performance. I look forward to our continuous efforts to set strategic priorities and drive for strong results, which benefit all of the people of the Tennessee Valley.”
Three board members, Chair Joe Ritch, and Directors Pete Mahurin and Michael McWherter, completed their terms Jan. 3, 2017. TVA bylaws call for the selection of a board chair within 30 calendar days of the chair’s vacancy to ensure the board can continue to work effectively as changes occur.
A notational vote was held by the six members currently serving on the board to elect Evans to the chair. As of noon ET Friday, Jan. 20, it falls to President Donald Trump to nominate successors to Ritch, Mahurin and McWherter. Those nominees will be confirmed or rejected by the U.S. Senate.
Evans, who holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from Jackson State University, was sworn in to the TVA board in January 2013. A native of Anguilla, MS, she has chaired the board’s Audit, Risk, and Regulation Committee since 2014. She has also served on the Nuclear Oversight, People and Performance and External Relations committees.
Evans owns V. Lynn Evans, CPA, a certified public accounting and consulting firm established in 1983. She served for nearly a decade on the Memphis, TN, LG & W Board of Commissioners and chaired that panel in 2008 and 2009.
Upon joining the TVA board, Evans told TVPPA News magazine that her experience on the MLGW board made her “probably as attuned as any other director to the concerns of TVPPA’s membership.”