Biographical information on Regional Council members

Mr. John Lee Baker
General Manager
Newport Utilities Board
P.O. Box 519
170 Cope Boulevard
Newport, Tennessee 37822-0519

Employment History:
1992 – Present, General Manager, Newport Utilities Board, Newport, Tennessee
Previous employment – Mississippi Power & Light Company, Mississippi
Board of Public Utilities, Kansas City, Kansas
Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Newport Kiwanis Club
Parrotsville Ruritan Club
Chamber of Commerce membership
RIDA membership
TVPPA
TMEPA
APPA
AWWA
WEF

Education:
1971 – Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Mississippi State University

Mr. Jimmy L. Barnett
General Manager
Sheffield Utilities
P.O. Box 580
300 North Nashville Avenue
Sheffield, Alabama 35660-0580

Employment History:
1987 – Present, General Manager, Sheffield Utilities, Sheffield, Alabama
Previous employment – 1977 – 1987, Electric Manager, Jackson Utility Division
1961 – 1977, Chief Engineer, Electric Department, Jackson Utility Division Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Rotary Club
United Way
Chamber of Commerce membership
RIDA membership
TVPPA
APPA
ACOPDA
NAPPA
Electric Cities of Alabama

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, University of Tennessee
M.S.E.A., University of Tennessee
Certified Power Executive, TVPPA

The Honorable Roger Bedford, Jr.
Alabama State Senator
Alabama State House, Suite 730
Montgomery, Alabama 36130
or
Bedford, Rogers & Bowling
P.O. Box 370
303 N. Jackson Avenue
Russellville, Alabama 35653

Employment History:
1982 – First elected to the Alabama State Senate

Other employment:
1981 – present, Bedford, Rogers & Bowling, PC, Attorneys, Russellville, AlabamaProfessional and Civic Affiliations:
American Cancer Society
Rotary Club
Alabama Cattlemen’s Association
Alabama State Bar
Alabama Conservancy
NRA, Lifetime Member

Education:
Samford University, Cumberland Law School

Mr. Austin B. Carroll
General Manager
Hopkinsville Electric System
Post Office Box 544
1820 East Ninth Street
Hopkinsville, Kentucky 42241-0728

Employment History:
1986 – Present, General Manager, Hopkinsville Electric System, Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Previous employment – 11 years, District Engineer, TVA, Kentucky Office; 3 years,
Systems Analyst, Union Carbide Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge, Tennessee;
Computer Programmer/Analyst, NASA Program, Huntsville, AlabamaProfessional and

Civic Affiliations:
Chairman, Land Between The Lakes Association
Vice President, Hopkinsville Industrial Foundation
Past President, Tennessee-Kentucky Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army
Board of Directors, First City Bank and Trust
Board of Directors/Treasurer, Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation
RIDA membership
TVPPA
APPA
Past President, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Past President, Municipal Electric Power Association of Kentucky
Kentucky Manager Association

Education:
1973 – Bachelor of Science
1983 – Masters Business Administration
1989 – Certified Power Executive

Mr. Evan Philip Comer
1548 Smoky View Drive
Dandridge, Tennessee 37725-6328

Employment History:
Currently retired from Foote Mineral Company, Exton, Pennsylvania
President and Chief Executive Officer, and Member, Board of Directors, 1980-
1984; Vice President and General Manager, Chemicals & Minerals Division and
Member, Board of Directors, 1970-1980; Vice President, Administration, 1969-
1970.

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Jefferson County Planning Commission
Jefferson County Zoning Appeals Board
Steering Committee, "Quality Communities Program" for Jefferson County, jointly
sponsored by TVA and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
Corporate Solicitation Committee, United Way of Jefferson County
Deacon, First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, Tennessee
Chairman, Economic Impact/Development Committee, Land Owners and Users of
Douglas Lake
Member of New York Mining Club
Listed in Who’s Who in America

Education:
1948 – Bachelor of Arts, Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee
1949 – Master of Arts, Columbia University

Ms. Ann Coulter
Executive Vice President
RiverValley Partners
835 Georgia Avenue, Suite 800
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402

Employment History:
Presently, Executive Vice President of RiverValley Partners, Chattanooga, Tennessee
1995 – 1999, Executive Director, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning
Agency
1992 – 1995, Director, Chattanooga Office of Economic and Community Development
1988 – 1992, Private Business, Consultant
1983 – 1988, Project Coordinator, Southeast Tennessee Private Industry Council
1979 – 1981, Manpower Planner, Hamilton County, Tennessee

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
1994 Graduate of Tennessee Leadership
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chancellor’s Roundtable

Education:
Bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University
Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri

Mr. Karl Dudley
General Manager, Pickwick Electric Cooperative
P.O. Box 49
530 Mulberry St.
Selmer, Tennessee 38375

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
United Utility Supply Board of Directors
Union Planters Bank Advisory Board
Rotary Club
Tennessee Valley Public Power Association
WDMA
West Tennessee Industrial Association Executive Committee
TECA, TMEPA-TECA Joint Committee
TJT&S
NRECA
EPRI Council on Electrical Distribution
National Institute of Engineering Technologies

Education:
National Technical Institute
Jackson State Community College
E.E.T. National Society of Professional Engineers
Certified Power Technology, TVPPA
Certified Power Executive, TVPPA

Mr. Bill Forsyth
Chairman, Murphy Electric Power Board
P.O. Box 171
Murphy, North Carolina 28906
39 Peachtree Street, Suite 100
Murphy, North Carolina 28906

Employment History:
Present, Executive Director, Cherokee County Economic Development Commission
Previous employment, Licensed real estate broker, Realty of Murphy, Inc.
President and CEO, Citizens Bank, Murphy, North Carolina
Vice President and City Executive, Macon Savings Bank, Murphy, North Carolina
Vice President and City Executive, The Northwestern Bank, Murphy, North
Carolina and Andrews, North Carolina

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Chairman, Murphy Electric Power Board
Chairman, Town of Murphy ABC Board
Board Member, Western North Carolina Regional Economic Development Commission
(Advantage West)
President, Cherokee County Development Corporation
Board Member, Western North Carolina Tomorrow
Chairman, Murphy Medical Center Foundation
Member, North Carolina Citizens for Business & Industry
Member, North Carolina Economic Developers Association

Education:
1968 – Bachelor of Science, Business Administration and Political Science,
Western Carolina University

The Honorable Thomas Griffith
Mayor of the City of Amory
Office: City Hall
109 South Main Street
Amory, Mississippi 38821
Home: 1606 Woodview Circle
Amory, Mississippi 38821

Employment History:
1977 – Present, Mayor of City of Amory, Mississippi

Professional/Civic Affiliations:
Member and Past President, Itawamba Community College Alumni
Member, Board of Directors, and Past President, Mississippi Municipal Association
Member and Past President, Board of North Mississippi Industrial Development Association
Member of Board, Three Rivers Planning & Development District, Inc.
Past President, Mississippi Water Resources Association
Chairman of Board of Directors, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Council
Served on Housing & Urban Development Advisory Council for Southeast Region of HUD
Past Chairman, Mississippi Economic Development Task Force
Chairman of Allied Enterprises Advisory Council
Served on Boards of State Fire Academy and Mississippi Law Enforcement Training
Academy
Served on the Transportation Committee of the National League of Cities in Washington, DC
Past member and President, Amory Jaycees
Member and Past President and Paul Harris Fellow, Amory Rotary Club

Education:
1968, Graduate of Mississippi State University

Ms. Julie Hardin
Member, Executive Committee and Board of Directors
Foothills Land Conservancy
3521 Talahi Drive
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Employment History:
1993 – Present, Consultant, private practice
1983 – 1993, Executive Director, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Tennessee Valley, Inc.,
Knoxville, Tennessee
1977 – 1983, Director of Admissions and Social Worker, Lakeshore Mental Health
Institute, Knoxville, Tennessee
Previous employment – Foster parent recruiter and trainer and Department of Human
Services Coordinator, For The Love of Children, Washington, DC
Caseworker and Supervisor, Cook County Department of Public Aid, Chicago,
Illinois

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Member, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Foothills Land Conservancy
Member, Executive Women’s Association
Past Member, Downtown Knoxville Kiwanis Club
Academy of Certified Social Workers, National Association of Social Workers
Leadership Knoxville Class of 1988
Past Board Member, Tennessee Planned Parenthood
Past Board Member, Tennessee Environmental CouncilEducation:
1975 – M.S.S.W., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
1962 – B.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Mr. Al Mann
225 Mann Lane
Benton, Kentucky 42025

Employment History:
Retired pharmacist
Previous owner of two shopping centers

Ms. Miles H. Mennell
Executive Director, Association of Tennessee Valley Governments
P.O. Box 24473
Nashville, Tennessee 37202-4473

Employment History:
1995 – Present, Executive Director, Association of Tennessee Valley Governments
1993 – 1995, Director of Tourism and Public Information, Abingdon, Virginia
1986 – 1995, Miles Mennell & Associates, Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia
Previous employment – Director of Creative Services, Quality Printers, Bristol, Virginia;
Coordinator, Newspapers in Education, Bristol Newspapers, Bristol, Virginia
Public Relations Director/Consultant, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Division of Continuing Education, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Associate Editor, Outdoor Newspapers, Inc., Canonsburg, Virginia
Research Associate and Editor of Publications, Project Head Start/ERIC Information
Retrieval Center on the Disadvantaged, Yeshiva University, New York, New York

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Director, Boys & Girls Club of Bristol
Director, Bristol Morning Rotary Club
Member, Public Relations Society of America
American Society of Association Executives
Tennessee Society of Association Executives
Rebuild Tennessee
Tri-Cities, Tennessee-Virginia Economic Summit Steering Committee
Bristol Chamber of Commerce
Charter member and founding director, Hands On! Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee
Founding member, Board of Directors, Bristol Main Street Project
Who’s Who in Public Relations, 1991
Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, 1994
Commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by Paul E. Patton, Governor, Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1998

Education:
1998 – American Society of Association Executives, Government Relations School,
Certificate
1969 – Graduate Fellow in English and Instructor, Freshman English and Composition,
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota
1966 – Bachelor of Arts, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

Mr. Herman Morris, Jr.
President & CEO
Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division
P.O. Box 430
Memphis, Tennessee 38101-0430

Employment History:
1997 – Present, President & CEO, Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, Memphis,
Tennessee
1989 - 1997, General Counsel, Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, Memphis, Tennessee
Previous employment - Private law practice

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
President, Memphis Branch NAACP
Chair, Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce
Member, Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission
Member of the Board, Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
Member of the Board, Goals for Memphis
Member of the Board, United Way of Mid-South
Member of the Board, Boys and Girls Club of Memphis
Bank of America Advisory Board
Chair, Midtown Mental Health Center
Member, Chamber of Commerce
Member of the Board, American Gas Association
APPA
Board of Directors, TVPPA
American Association of Blacks in Energy
NAACP Special Contributions Fund Board

Education:
1977 – J.D. Vanderbilt University, School of Law, Nashville, Tennessee
1973 – Bachelor of Arts, Economics, Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee

Mr. W. C. Nelson
Nelson Tractor Company
Post Office Box 127
U.S. 76 Bypass
Blairsville, Georgia 30514

Employment History:
Owned and operated Nelson Tractor Company (farm and industrial equipment sales and service) for 35 years

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Board Member, Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Board Member, North Georgia Waste Management Authority
Chairman, Union County Development Authority
Board Member, Blairsville/Union County Chamber of Commerce
Vice-Chairman, United Community Banks
Member, Union County Rotary Club

Education:
Georgia Institute of Technology
Young Harris College

Ms. Elaine Patterson
Manager, Government Affairs
Olin Corporation
7708 Ashley Oaks Drive
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421

Employment History:
Manager, Government Affairs, Olin Corporation, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Previous employment – Manager, State Affairs Program, Chlorine Chemistry Council of the Chemical Manufacturers Association
Various positions with state legislature and U.S. Congress

Education:
Degree in Health Studies from Charter Oak College, Hartford, Connecticut
Certificate, College of Business Executive Program, Louisiana State University, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana

Mr. Bruce D. Shupp
National Conservation Director
B.A.S.S., Inc.
Post Office Box 17900
Montgomery, Alabama 36141-0900

Employment History:
1995 – Present, National Conservation Director, B.A.S.S., Inc., Montgomery, Alabama
1980 – 1994, Chief of the Bureau of Fisheries, State of New York
Previous employment – Statewide Supervisor of Warmwater Fisheries Management,
New York
Fishery Management Biologist in the Adirondack Mountain Region, New York
Department of Environmental Conservation

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Certified Fisheries Scientist, American Fisheries Society
Past President, New York Chapter, American Fisheries Society
Past President, Administrator’s Section of the American Fisheries Society

Education:
Graduate of Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Stephen A. Smith
Executive Director
Tennessee Valley Energy Reform Coalition
Post Office Box 1842
Knoxville, Tennessee 37901

Employment History:
1993 – Present, Executive Director, Tennessee Valley Energy Reform Coalition

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Center for Resource Solutions National Board for Green Power Accreditation
TVA Green Power marketing team
Tennessee Valley Electric System Advisory Committee for the Secretary of Energy
(1997-1998)
Co-founder and Member of the Board of Directors, Foundation for Global
Sustainability
Co-founder, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance
TVERC representative to the TVA Energy Vision 2020 Integrated Resource Plan
Review Group (1994-1995)

Education:
1992 – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
Tennessee
1988 – Bachelor of Science, Biology, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Owensboro,
Kentucky

Mr. Jim Sutphin
Estes Brothers Construction
Route 4, Box 586
Jonesville, Virginia 24263

Employment History:
Manage small farm near Rose Hill growing tobacco and hay; owner of custom lumber milling operation, currently leased

Professional/Civic Affiliations:
Lee County Board of Supervisors, 1996-1999 (Vice Chairman, 1998; Chairman, 1999)
Lenowisco Planning District Board of Commissioners, 1996-1999 (Executive Committee,
1998-1999)
Coalfield Regional Water Study Commission, 1997, Co-Chairman
Steering Committee to establish the Virginia Coalfield Coalition
Virginia Coalfield Coalition Board of Directors, 1999
Tri-state Visitor Center Steering Committee, Cumberland Gap, TN/VA/KY
Friends of Wilderness Road State Park Board of Directors

Education:
Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap, Virginia
VR Basic and Advanced Business Brokerage Courses, Knoxville, Tennessee
Tennessee Real Estate Educational Seminars, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Numerous Economic Development Seminars through elected and appointed positions

Dr. Paul F. Teague
4045 Brodies Landing Road
Parsons, Tennessee 38363

Employment History:
1995 – Present, Private Medical Practice, Parsons, Tennessee
1980 – 1994, Board of Directors, Community Bank of Germantown, Tennessee
1973 – 1995, Private Medical Practice, Memphis, Tennessee

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
Past President, Decatur County Chamber of Commerce
Former Board of Governors, National ENT Society
Delegate to Republican National Convention, 1964

Education:
1973 – University of Tennessee Medical School (Otolaryngology Residency)
1961 – Harry P. Long Hospital (Family Practice Residency)
1959 – U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon
1958 – Roanoke Memorial Hospital (Internship)
1957 – University of Tennessee Medical School
1954 – University of Tennessee at Martin

Greer Tidwell Jr.
Director of Environmental Management for North America
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.
P.O. Box 140994
Nashville, TN 37214

Employment History:
1997 – Present, Director of Environmental Management for North America, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., Nashville, Tennessee
1995 - 1997, General Counsel, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation 1989 - 1994, Attorney, Baker, Worthington, Crossley, Stansberry & Woolf, Johnson City and Nashville, Tennessee

Professional and Civic Affiliations:
President, Tennessee Conservation League
Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board
Governor’s Panel for Smoky Mountain Air Quality
NatureLinks Mentor, National Wildlife Federation, inner-city family outdoors orientation
Chairperson, Environmental Section of Tennessee Bar Association
First Tennessee Development District Solid Waste Advisory Board

Achievements:
Recognition and selection of five plants in EPA’s National Environmental Achievement Track program (2000)
Established participation in Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Pilot Project, including creating active Community Advisory Board on plant environmental performance (1999)
First major tire manufacturer to achieve certification of all plants to international environmental management standard ISO 14001 (1998)
First-place ranking by Council on Economic Priorities’ first and only comparison of environmental performance in the tire industry (1998)

Education:
1989 – J.D., Vanderbilt University, Nashville
1986 – B.S., Civil Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville
1985 – B.S., Engineering Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, Texas

Revised 3/15/2001