VIDEO: Blackburn Introduces TVA Board Nominees Mitch Graves and Jeff Hagood at Senate Committee Nomination Hearing
October 22, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors nominees, Mitch Graves and Jeff Hagood, at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on their nominations:
Click here to download Senator Blackburn’s remarks during the nomination hearing.
Click here to download this photo of Senator Blackburn, Lee Beaman, Jeff Hagood, and Mitch Graves.
REMARKS AS PREPARED
Blackburn Introduces Mitch Graves
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the committee for the opportunity to introduce my fellow Tennessean, Mr. Mitch Graves, a fourth-generation Memphian who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to the people of Tennessee.
Mr. Graves has served on the Board of Commissioners of Memphis Light, Gas and Water, commonly known as MLG&W, since 2016. MLG&W is the largest three-service utility in the country and the Tennessee Valley Authority’s largest customer. During his tenure, he has chaired the Pension and OPEB Funds, as well as the Hedge, Audit, and Human Resource Committees, and briefly served as CEO, providing steady leadership in one of Memphis’s most critical public institutions.
Mr. Graves has over 37 years of executive leadership experience in complex, regulated industries. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the West Cancer Center and Research Institute, leading a multi-state healthcare organization with more than one hundred providers and 750 employees.
Prior to this role, he served as President and CEO of HealthChoice, LLC, and held key executive positions at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.
His expertise has been recognized nationally through his service on United Healthcare’s Executive Advisory Council and Cigna’s National Health Care Advisory Council, where he has provided valuable insight on healthcare strategies and innovation.
With his deep roots in the Memphis community, decades of executive leadership, and steadfast commitment to public service, Mr. Graves represents the best of Tennessee’s business and civic leadership. I am confident that his experience and dedication will continue to serve our state and nation well.
Blackburn Introduces Jeff Hagood
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the committee for the opportunity to introduce another fellow Tennessean, Mr. Jeff Hagood, from the small community of Persia, to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors.
In addition to his thirty-five-year legal career, Mr. Hagood has built and managed a diverse portfolio of successful businesses across Tennessee.
His business ventures have included mini storage facilities and warehouses, urgent care medical clinics, a large trucking operation, residential subdivisions, restaurants, apartments, commercial properties, farmland, and a sports agency. His extensive experience in business and management brings a vital private-sector perspective to TVA’s leadership.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Mr. Hagood has dedicated much of his life to serving his community. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards, mentored children through Big Brothers Big Sisters for nearly a decade, and for almost twenty years has led his church’s shut-in ministry, personally preparing and delivering meals to those unable to leave their homes. His commitment to service reflects the very values TVA was founded upon.
With his legal expertise, entrepreneurial success, and unwavering commitment to service, Mr. Hagood embodies the values that have long defined the people of the Tennessee Valley. I am confident that his leadership will bring strength, accountability, and common-sense stewardship to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors.
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