President Biden names Patrice Robinson to TVA board
Patrice Robinson will be the first Memphian on the board since John Ryder died last year. (The Daily Memphian file)
President Joe Biden nominated outgoing Memphis City Council member Patrice Robinson to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors Monday, Sept. 11.
The White House announced the nomination in a news release Monday afternoon. It requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Robinson, a former Memphis Light, Gas and Water employee, has long sought a nomination to the board, which oversees the federal power provider that supplies MLGW and 152 other local power companies with electricity.
Robinson will be the first Memphian on the board since John Ryder, who died last year. Memphis is the largest of all of TVA’s electricity customers and represents about 10% of its electric load and revenue. Last year, MLGW concluded a yearslong evaluation of whether it should leave TVA and opted to stay. For now.
Robinson, in an interview Monday, said she was wiping tears from her eyes at the news, which she learned might be a possibility on Friday.
“I am so proud to represent the state of Tennessee, especially Memphis,” Robinson said. “My whole life is about improving the lives of people. This is another opportunity.”
She said her nomination means there will be a Memphis voice prioritizing energy efficiency for all the people TVA serves.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen applauded the move in a news release.
“I am happy to see a Memphian again appointed to the board ... since MLGW is TVA’s largest customer. I look forward to following her stewardship of this important regional utility,” Cohen said.
Topics
Tennessee Valley Authority Joe Biden Patrice RobinsonSamuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. He began his journalism career at the Tulsa World in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he covered business and, later, K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on Elon Musk’s xAI, regional energy needs and how Memphis and Shelby County government spend taxpayer dollars.
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