Michael McWherter, of Jackson, Tn., on Thursday became the newest member of the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors, taking the oath of office in a ceremony in Nashville. His term will expire on May 18, 2016.
Mr. McWherter, confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 1, was sworn in by U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell of the Middle District of Tennessee during a ceremony at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building and Courthouse.
“I am deeply honored to have been nominated by the President, supported by Sens. Alexander and Corker, and confirmed by the Senate,” Mr. McWherter said. “TVA is the largest economic engine in our region, and I look forward to working with TVA to be a cost-effective supplier of services to our customers.”
Director McWherter lives in Jackson, and is owner and president of Central Distributors Co. and Volunteer Distributing Co., Tn.-based beverage distribution companies, since 1989 and 1985, respectively. He worked in private law practice from 1982 to 1985 in Nashville, with a focus on banking and administrative law, and clerked for the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1981 to 1982.
Mr. McWherter, the Democratic nominee for governor of Tennessee in 2010, currently serves as director and former chairman of First State Bank of Union City, Tn. He has served on the board of directors of the Jackson Energy Authority in Jackson, and as director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Arts Council. From 1988 to 1995, he served as a board member of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. He received both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. McWherter is one of four newly-confirmed appointments to the nine-member TVA board of directors. Joe H. Ritch, of Huntsville, Ala., V. Lynn Evans, of Memphis, and Peter Mahurin, of Bowling Green, Ky., will join TVA Board Chairman Bill Sansom, of Knoxville, and current members Barbara Haskew, of Chattanooga, Neil McBride, of Oak Ridge, and Richard Howorth of Oxford, Ms.