The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has named longtime executive Mike Skaggs as interim President and CEO. The TVA Board of Directors announced the pick Friday and said Skaggs will run the agency while they search for a permanent CEO.

Skaggs brings more than 40 years of experience in the utility industry, including over 25 years with TVA, where he most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2018 to 2021.

“Mike was a leader at TVA for more than two decades and has a strong understanding of TVA’s important role in powering our seven-state region,” said TVA Board Chair Mitch Graves.

As COO, Skaggs oversaw TVA’s gas, coal and hydroelectric generating assets, as well as the agency’s River Forecast Center, while leading efforts to modernize TVA’s transmission system — the second largest in the nation.

“Mike’s leadership and deep knowledge of nuclear generation aligns directly with TVA’s strategic focus on expanding and modernizing its nuclear fleet to support the region’s growing energy needs,” Graves said.

Skaggs’ career has been closely tied to TVA’s nuclear operations, including leading the completion and startup of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2, helping restore Browns Ferry Unit 1 to full three-unit operation, and overseeing major infrastructure upgrades such as steam generator replacement projects.

He joined TVA in 1994 as a project manager at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant and advanced through a series of leadership roles across the agency’s nuclear fleet and corporate operations, including assignments at Browns Ferry, Sequoyah and Watts Bar facilities.

TVA officials said Skaggs’ leadership will help ensure continued reliability for the more than 10 million people the agency serves across a seven-state region that includes North Alabama.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.  You may contact her at [email protected].