Senate confirms new TVA board members

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has confirmed four nominees for the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors. They are:

• Marilyn A. Brown, a professor of energy policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy, who was nominated Dec. 10, 2009, by President Obama for a term expiring May 18, 2012, to succeed Susan Richardson Williams, whose term expired.

• Barbara S. Haskew, a professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University, nominated Sept. 10, 2009, by the president for a term expiring May 18, 2014, to succeed Donald R. DePriest, who resigned.

• Neil G. McBride, a long-time public-interest lawyer. He was nominated Sept. 10, 2009, by the president for a term expiring May 18, 2013, to succeed Skila Harris, who resigned.

• Bill Sansom, a former chairman of the TVA board, who was nominated Dec. 4, 2009, by the president for a second term expiring May 18, 2014. Sansom is president and chief executive officer of Knoxville, Tenn.-based H.T. Hackney Co.

Current members of the TVA board of directors are chairman Dennis Bottorff of Nashville, Tenn.; Mike Duncan of Inez, Ky.; Tom Gilliland, of Blairsville, Ga.; William Graves of Memphis, Tenn., and, Howard Thrailkill of Huntsville, Ala.