Rebecca Tolene

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Rebecca Tolene serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of TVA, where she leads the company’s legal, ethics, compliance, regulatory and corporate governance functions. In this role, Tolene provides strategic legal counsel to the executive leadership council and Board of Directors, ensuring that corporate decisions align with applicable laws, regulatory requirements and long-term business objectives.

Tolene joined TVA in 2002 and has held several senior leadership positions with the company, including senior vice president of River Operations, vice president of Environment, deputy general counsel, and vice president of Supply Chain. In these capacities, she led multidisciplinary teams supporting critical infrastructure and resource management efforts, while fostering collaborative relationships with federal and state agencies, suppliers, stakeholders and regional communities. Tolene has also directed enterprise-wide initiatives in infrastructure security, natural resource management, real estate portfolio optimization, continuous improvement and employee benefits negotiations.

Over a career spanning more than two decades at TVA, Tolene has developed deep expertise in board governance and corporate strategy. She has led governance reforms to strengthen oversight and transparency and has regularly provided advice and counsel to the Board of Directors on legal, regulatory and strategic matters. 

A native of Tennessee, Rebecca earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Society for Corporate Governance. She resides in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her family.