Meet leader of TVA’s massive East Region
Bert Robinson is a people person, and he’s been intrigued by the Tennessee Valley Authority since he watched the cooling towers of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant as a kid.
The combination makes him ideal for his latest job at TVA. After 16 years at the federal utility, Robinson became executive leader of TVA’s East Region on April 8. In the role, he will oversee relationships with TVA customers, community partners and elected officials across East Tennessee.
The East Region includes the Knoxville headquarters, a major operations hub in Chattanooga and over 12,000 megawatts of electric generation, including two nuclear plants.
“I’m excited about the possibilities of continuing down this path of the regional model and having the customers, having the elected officials, the community leaders, all working together towards a common goal of making this a great place to be,” Robinson told Knox News.
An East Tennessee native, Robinson grew up in Athens and attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. After working on Capitol Hill and at a nonprofit, Robinson came home to join TVA, the nation’s largest public power provider.
In addition to creating and selling electricity, TVA leads economic development efforts, coaxing companies to the Tennessee Valley with relatively cheap industrial power. That makes it one of the most powerful partners of city governments and chambers of commerce.
Robinson’s predecessor as east regional executive, Carol Eimers, worked out of Chattanooga. Though he’ll work