FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 14, 2008

Isakson, Chambliss Praise Senate Approval of Thomas Gilliland of Georgia to Serve on Tennessee Valley Authority Board
Gilliland Will Be First Georgian Ever to Serve on TVA Board

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today praised the Senate’s unanimous approval of Thomas Gilliland of Blairsville, Ga., to serve on the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Gilliland is the first Georgian ever nominated to serve on the TVA board.

“The TVA has jurisdiction over power issues that are critical to Georgia although citizens of Georgia have never been represented on the TVA board,” said Isakson. “This distinguished citizen of our state is extremely knowledgeable about the environmental, recreational and power resources provided by the TVA. There is no better qualified individual to serve on the TVA board than Tom Gilliland, and I am extremely pleased the Senate has confirmed this outstanding individual.”

“I am extremely pleased that the people of Georgia will have a voice on the TVA board,” said Chambliss.  “Tom Gilliland’s strong background and qualifications make him an ideal candidate to represent the State of Georgia.”

President Bush nominated Gilliland to fill the vacancy created when Bill Baxter resigned from the board in January. Both Isakson and Chambliss recommended Gilliland for the post.

Gilliland is Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel for United Community Banks, Inc., which is the third-largest bank holding company in Georgia. Prior to joining United Community Banks in 1992, he was a partner at Hurt, Richardson, Garner, Todd and Cadenhead in Atlanta, where he represented a number of financial institutions, specializing in commercial loan transactions. Gilliland earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor from Emory University.

Isakson originally voiced concern over Georgia’s continued lack of representation on the TVA board in February 2006 when six new nominees to the board were considered before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, on which Isakson serves. Isakson exercised his right to block those nominations from final confirmation until each nominee had given him assurances in writing that the interests of Georgia would be represented in some form by the board. In individual letters to Isakson, each of the six nominees pledged to “commit to the establishment of a process to ensure the views and advice of residents of each state in the Tennessee Valley are taken into consideration by the Board.”

The TVA delivers power to some 129,000 households in northern Georgia, but no Georgian before Gilliland has ever been nominated to serve on the TVA board. In addition to Georgia, the states of North Carolina and Virginia also have never had a representative on the TVA board. The TVA service area includes Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

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