Contact RRSC Council Members

The council consists of up to 20 members representing people across the Tennessee Valley who are interested in TVA’s management of the region’s natural resources.

The council’s purpose is to increase public participation in TVA’s decision-making process by providing advice from many diverse perspectives so that TVA can respond in a responsible way to the needs of people across the region. The council invites public input into its deliberations.

TVA appoints a designated federal officer to facilitate the planning of the council’s meetings and reporting of its activities to the public. That office is currently held by Melanie Farrell, Vice President of External Strategy & Regulatory Oversight.

13^th Term Council Members

Ryan Brown

Brown is the Executive Director of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.  An avid hunter, angler, and outdoorsman, he grew up on a family farm in central Virginia, and his career has kept him close to his roots in Virginia’s natural resources and open spaces.  Over the course of his career, he has also represented Virginia’s natural resource agencies with the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, as well as working directly with other Virginia natural resource agencies. During his tenure, he has led the renaming of the agency to enhance marketing and public outreach efforts, directed and overseen significant improvements in the agency’s law enforcement division, established the first office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office, assisted with efforts to conserve Virginia’s largest migratory seabird colony, and assisted with the development of Virginia’s first elk hunting regulations, among other efforts.  He currently serves as Co-chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ International Relations Committee and is Secretary/Treasurer of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.  

He graduated magna cum laude from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, where he was a John Marshall Scholar, and a Robert Merhige Fellow of Environmental Law, and received his B.A. from the University of Virginia. 

Michael Butler 

Butler is a native Tennessean who grew up in Jackson and has since lived in each grand division of the state. His enthusiasm for Tennessee’s wildlife and the great outdoors, fostered by his early outdoor experiences, prompted him to study wildlife and fisheries science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and then to obtain a master's degree in fish and wildlife management from Montana State University.  

In 2002, he was promoted to chief executive officer, a position he holds presently at the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, formally Conservation League. Over the years with the Federation, his work has allowed him to engage with and solve some of Tennessee’s most critical wildlife and conservation concerns. 

He has served on several conservation and community-oriented boards and was a presidential appointee to the board of trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation from 2006 until 2012.  

He and his family live outside of Franklin.  

RaeLynn Butler

Butler is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is trained as a Botanist, specializing in weed science and her graduate research focused on sustainable agricultural practices and organic weed management in vegetable crops.  She started her career as an adjunct professor and taught various Biology-related courses at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS, and Tulsa Community College in Tulsa, OK, before she became the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for her tribe.  She currently serves as the Manager of the Historic and Cultural Preservation Department at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and oversees the tribe’s efforts to protect their sacred places and traditional cultural properties in the southeast under federal cultural preservation laws.

She graduated from Haskell Indian Nations University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science in 2009 and from Purdue University with a Master of Science degree in Agriculture in 2012.  

Keith Carnahan

Carnahans is the President and CEO of Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative (MLEC), which is headquartered in Centerville, TN. MLEC provides electricity to five rural counties in Middle Tennessee: Hickman, Lewis, Perry, Humphreys, and Houston counties.

Prior to this position, he spent 27 years in several engineering positions with E.I. DuPont in New Johnsonville, TN and was the Site Engineering Manager at DuPont when he left to come to MLEC. He also served 5 years on the Board of Directors for MLEC prior to being named to his current position. Carnahan serves on the Board of Directors of Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, Seven States Power Corporation and United Utility Supply.

He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and holds an MBA from Bethel University.

Alan Gates

Gates has served as President & CEO of Pennyrile Electric since 2018. Prior to his current position at the Cooperative, he served as V.P. of Operations and Technical Services and has over 30 years of experience working within the local power company.

He is actively involved in his community and currently serves on several local boards and committees. He and his wife, Ashley, live in Hopkinsville, KY and have three children.

He is a graduate of the NRECA Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program.

Richard M. Holland

Holland is currently the External Affairs Manager for Packaging Corporation of America (PCA).  He assumed this position in 2017 after serving as the Environmental Manager for PCA, Counce Mill, since 1990.  In the position of Environmental Manager, he managed all environmental activities for the PCA pulp and paper mill.  His current position involves regulatory agency coordination and government relations activities.

Prior to 1990, he worked for 17 years for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in various environmental regulatory activities. 

He currently serves as a member of the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board, is co-chair of the Air Quality sub-committee for the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is vice-president of the Tennessee Paper Council.  He is also an active member of the Tennessee Valley Industrial Committee.

In local activities, he is a member of the Henderson County Solid Waste Committee, member of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is Alderman and Vice-Mayor of the Town of Sardis.  In his role as vice-mayor, he serves as manager and certified operator for the Town’s water and wastewater system.

He has a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee and an M.S. from the University of Cincinnati and is a registered Professional Engineer. 

Cline Jones

Jones is a resident of Athens, AL, and a native of north Alabama where he has spent all his life in, on, and around the Tennessee River.

In addition to being the Executive Director of the Tennessee River Valley Association and the Tennessee-Cumberland Waterways Council, he is the Executive Director of Energy Fairness.org, serves on the Alabama Water Resources Commission, is Board Chair of the Coalition of Alabama Waterway Associations, and is an active associate of the Waterways Council, Inc.

He is a former Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the National Waterways Conference, a former member of the Board of Directors of Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals, is the former Board Chair of Energy Fairness.org, he served as a participating alternate member of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan Working Group and served on the Alabama Water Agencies Working Group’s Focus Panel on Certificates of Use, Permitting, and Inter-basin Transfers.

Kim Klinker

Klinker is the CFO of Klinker Management LLC, which holds a long-term land easement agreement with TVA for the rights to operate and maintain Hornsby Hollow Campground. This campground is a 54-acre peninsula located on Watts Bar Lake, Ten Mile, TN. It has 109 RV campsites, a large boat ramp, boat slips, playground, swim beaches, boat rental area, pavilion, fishing pier, walking trial, and bath houses. Kim Klinker and her husband have operated Hornsby Hollow Campground since March 2006.

She held a stock brokerage, municipal bonds, and commodities options license working for a company on the Chicago Board of Trade and for a large bank institution in Indianapolis, IN. She also was Senior Finance Associate for Subaru Isuzu Automotive Manufacturing plant, where she oversaw its cash flow activities and forecast.

Prior to taking over the operations of Hornsby Hollow Campground, she worked as an independent consultant for Professional Bank Services providing analysis and audit to banks located in eastern Tennessee.

She graduated with a B.S. degree in Finance and a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Ball State University in 1988.

Ronald W. Lambert

Lambert is with The Nature Conservancy and works in their Clinch Valley Program as a Land Protection Manager and leads the environmental conservation activities for the Clinch-Powell Resource Conservation and Development Council. He has 25 years of experience designing and overseeing the installation of agricultural best management practices for water quality improvement and aquatic organism protection. He’s completed more than 600 projects with participating landowners. He has participated in advanced education classes held by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in both Tennessee and Virginia which include: cultural resource protection, permit application processes (TDEC, NEPA, TVA, USACE, Historical and Cultural Resource Reviews) and agriculture Best Management Practices (BMP) design and construction.

Highly skilled in grant writing and administration he secured more than $9 million in grants and successfully implemented them in Virginia and Tennessee to protect/improve water quality and aquatic habitat. Additionally, he partnered with supporting agencies in the two states to oversee and/or document another $14 million in agriculture BMPs in areas critical for the protection of the aquatic biodiversity in the Clinch and Powell Rivers.

He holds a Bachelor of Science and specializes in Botany, Limnology, and water quality monitoring.

Whitney Lipscomb

Lipscomb works in the Mississippi Attorney General’s office. Formerly she was Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel to Governor Phil Bryant. In that role she coordinated with the Governor and Chief of Staff daily on policy, legal, cabinet, communications and administrative issues.  She also served as the principal policy advisor to the Governor on environmental, energy, emergency management and marine resource policy. 

She previously practiced law at Balch & Bingham LLP in Gulfport, Miss., where she regularly represented business entities, community and economic development organizations, public agencies, and a utility company in litigation, environmental, real estate and business matters. 

She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law, summa cum laude, and her Bachelor of Arts from Mississippi State University, summa cum laude.   She is a member of the Mississippi State Records Committee and the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Board.

Tom Littlepage

Littlepage serves as chief of the water management section of the Alabama Office of Water Resources. He has worked for the state of Alabama in various capacities since 1992. Littlepage was previously employed as manager of the facilities department at the Federal Reserve Bank in Oklahoma City. Before that he was in the U.S. Air Force for nine years, eventually serving as director of civil engineering for the Airborne Warning and Control Unit at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.

He graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in civil engineering.

John McConnell

McConnell is the Executive Director of Boards and Commissions for Governor Beshear of Kentucky. He is a native of western Kentucky and is passionate about the outdoors. He has seen much of the state traveling to watch his daughter play soccer.  He and his family are lifelong residents of Murray Ky., where he is the second-generation owner and president of McConnell Insurance located in Murray and Paducah, Ky.  Additionally, he is Partner and Co-Founder of Bolding and McConnell in Union City, TN.  He is a past board member of the Kentucky Medical Licensure Board and is the current Governor’s proxy to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.  He also serves on the Independence Bank Board of Directors.

Will Nelson

Nelson is the president and CEO of Nelson Tractor Company, a farm equipment dealership headquartered in Blairsville, Ga. Prior to joining the family firm, he was a consultant for Dematteo Moness research and investing firm and was involved with several product development groups including Deere, Kubota and New Holland.

He has served on the United Community Bank Customer Advisory Board and the Kubota National Dealer Advisory Council representing the southeastern United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In addition, he is a past president of the Union County Rotary Club and currently serves on the board of the Southern Equipment Dealers Association.

He holds a B.S. in finance and economics from David Lipscomb University.               

David “Ron” Robertson

Robertson grew up on a farm in Hardin County, Tennessee. He worked in various positions for International Harvester and the Case Corporation until returning to full-time farming in the Hardin County area. He established Cypress Hill Farm, which he operates today, growing about 3000 acres of crops and Timber. He is a Director of Hardin Farmer’s Co-op and is a past president of the Co-op. He is also a past president of Tennessee Valley Farmers and is currently serving as its Vice President.

He obtained a BS in Agricultural Science and a MS degree in Agricultural Mechanization. 

David Salyers P.E., P.G.,

Salyers was appointed Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in January 2019 after serving more than 20 years as Executive Director with the West Tennessee River Basin Authority and previous work as an engineer in the private sector. As TDEC Commissioner, he has led the deployment of historic capital investment in the Tennessee State Park system and the establishment of five new state parks. He has also orchestrated more than $1 Billion in investments in drinking and wastewater infrastructure on behalf of Governor Lee and the General Assembly. More recently, he has been focused on the implementation of State Superfund site cleanups and accelerated reclamation through new programs for brownfield site cleanup and redevelopment. In August 2023, he was appointed by Governor Lee to serve as Chair of the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council established by Executive Order 101. A results-oriented and mission-driven leader, he places a premium on meaningful relationships and effective partnerships as the best way for TDEC to make Tennessee an even better place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

Danette Scudder

Scudder has served since October 2017 as Executive Vice President for Member Services/Strategic Relations for the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association (TVPPA) and as Vice President for its subsidiary, Distributors Insurance Co. Prior to taking those positions, she served more than two years as TVPPA’s vice president and five years as Member Services manager. Scudder acts as staff liaison to TVPPA’s Government Relations Advisory Group.

She is the chair of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) Board of Directors and serves on the TNCPE Board of Examiners.  She was the original chair of the American Public Power Association’s Mutual Aid Working Group, a member of APPA’s Reliable Power Provider review panel and is a master judge for APPA’s Lineworker Rodeo. She has also served as international president of the Women’s International Network of Utility Professionals.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Evansville and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas Tech University.

Catherine Via

Via serves as Director-at-Large on the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation Board representing production agriculture from Mountain City to Memphis. She is the local chair of the Ag In The Classroom (AITC) Foundation. She is a former member of the Cotton Board, and in 2013 served on the Steering Committee for Agriculture and Forestry, the “Governor’s Rural Challenge”, a 10-Year Strategic Plan.

She currently serves on the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) Advisory Council for West Tennessee. She and her family are fifth-generation row crop, timber, and livestock producers. She retired in 2012 as supervisor of Adult and Continuing Education, leading her program through the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Commitment Level. From 2010 – 2014, she served as Tennessee’s grant reader for Monsanto’s “America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education” Council. She is a retired member of the Board of Trustees, Union University, Jackson, TN, and serves on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. She is the pianist for her local church and is the regional coordinator for Youth Bible Drills for the TBC.

She holds a BS and MS from the University of Tennessee.

Stacey White

White is General Manager of Arab Electric Cooperative in Arab, Alabama. She worked her way up to the leadership in January 2020 after first joining the company in 2009. She held various jobs from cashier to interim manager.

Currently, she serves on various industry and community boards including AREA, NAIDA, AAPPA, Marshall County Economic Development, Arab Chamber of Commerce, the Arab Education Foundation and is active in the Arab Rotary Club.

She is married to Tim White, a retired Alabama State Trooper. They have three children.

Randy Wiggins

Wiggins is the county manager for Cherokee County, North Carolina. With 20 years of governmental experience, he has served previously as county manager and as finance director for Cherokee County. He also served as human resources manager for a division of Emerson Electric, as well as project manager and business development manager for local companies. In addition to his responsibilities as county manager, he serves on numerous local boards and committees among which he is the past chair of the board of directors for Industrial Opportunities, Inc. (a home-grown vocational rehabilitation company ranked as one of the largest employers in Cherokee County).

He attended Western Carolina University where he earned his B.S./B.A. in Computer Information Systems, and successfully completed the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government’s County Administration Program.