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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Report FY 2023
Powering Progress: The driving force of our culture and inclusion initiatives are our employees – showing up as they are, providing their unique perspectives and displaying curiosity to learn about others.
A message from Jan Brown: Advancing the journey of inclusion
I like to say that inclusion is a journey. As I reflect on this past year and the steps we’ve taken to further inclusion with diversity at TVA, I am confident we’re farther along in that journey today than ever before. We’ve made significant strides in the past year, and we have a lot to celebrate.
I’m appreciative of Megan Flynn, who was designated as TVA’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer in October 2021. She helped develop the framework to further build an inclusive environment and diverse workforce. This framework was key in increasing our transparency and accountability within the Inclusion with Diversity (IwD) space, expanding our efforts to attract talent that is reflective of the communities TVA serves and fostering an increased community presence across our seven-state region.
Building upon these accomplishments throughout the past year, we began to expand discussions around our IwD work by introducing equity principles and discussing ways our leaders play an important role in advancing fairness within TVA. We also established aspirational goals aimed at increasing the number of women and people of color in leadership positions by 2033 to match the available workforce, and we incorporated performance goals focused on IwD for every leader and non-represented employee. And we’ve worked to increase the accessibility of our IwD core metrics using our People Advantage dashboard to support talent management and employee development opportunities.
Built for the people
A mission of service for all
Since its inception, TVA was founded on a mission of service – one that’s built for the people. People are as intrinsic to a place as its mountains and streams, and together they create a vibrant culture. Each experience is shared, each achievement is collective. And molded over time, these characteristics become the face of the Valley region.
United and empowering
Culture, Inclusion and Performance team helps strengthen values
TVA Culture, Inclusion and Performance consultants Xavier Cotto and Joan Williams work to ensure fairness and increase diversity and inclusion at TVA each day. Learn more about their work in Diversity and Inclusion and how they help employees feel confident in bringing their authentic selves to work each day.
In your role, how do you work to ensure TVA’s culture remains inclusive?
Cotto: I’m excited about the opportunity to join the Diversity and Inclusion team this year and contribute to the great efforts that have been in place to influence and support our enterprise. We help curate resources that are easily accessible to all and we produce events that unite our people and strengthen our inclusive values. We help empower employees and remove barriers so our Employee Resource Groups can continue educating and inspiring our people.
Q&A with TVA’s Chief Nuclear Officer
Good cultures don’t just exist – they’re thoughtfully created and carefully maintained throughout time. TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Tim Rausch talks about the culture of inclusivity at TVA, the journey we’re on and the steps we’ve taken to get there.
What makes a good company culture?
A good culture is created when you’ve taken the time to determine what kind of company you want to be, what results you want to achieve and how you want to achieve them. You define the culture based on your desired outcomes.
As you do that, you consider the existing culture that you’re starting with. Look at what needs to change to enable those future results. Too many times, people just set performance goals not realizing you have to have a culture that’s going to support those goals, or they won’t be sustainable. I think a good company does that cultural work and doesn’t just establish goals.
Cultivating Culture
Inspiring TVA’s future talent
The Student Training and Resource Sharing program grew from five participants the first summer to 19 the second year – and the team is eager to help many more students experience this life-changing opportunity in 2024.
Power of the panel
Through the diverse interview panel initiative, TVA can reduce stress and anxiety by providing an interview panel whose demographics better represent a diverse perspective. This creates more ease and provides an opportunity for the interviewee to perform their best.
The right start
After more than three years of delivering the New Employee Experience virtually, TVA’s Talent Management team is now focused on returning the experience to an in-person activity.
Moving the needle in the right direction
Leadership representation for people of color and women increased to a respective 10.9% and 19.7%. TVA also saw increased inclusion scores on its FY 2023 employee engagement survey among Veterans, people of color and women.
Power of the panel
“A good culture is created when you’ve taken the time to determine what kind of company you want to be, what results you want to achieve and how you want to achieve them.” – TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Tim Rausch.
Labor leads the way
Alongside playing a central role in TVA’s success, unions have enabled the American dream to take root in the Valley region by providing excellent jobs.
Intentional Culture
Authentic connections
Embracing the idea that authenticity allows people to thrive in their careers, TVA’s leaders have empowered team members to bring their full selves to work.
TVA’s nine Employee Resource Groups are instrumental in this realm, creating powerful opportunities to highlight the diversity of the workforce while fostering a deep sense of belonging within the work community.
Belonging happens when team members can intentionally connect with each other. It’s showing someone that they matter – not just for the resources they bring to the job, but for the valuable expertise they bring by being uniquely themselves.
Ultimately, each Employee Resource Group helps people gain a rich understanding of every team member’s experience and unique story.
Incredibly validating
Veterans make up nearly 20% of the workforce at TVA. The experience, dedication and grit they bring to the table is invaluable. That’s why this year TVA teamed up with Freedom Sings USA, a nonprofit that pairs professional songwriters with Veterans to help them share their stories through song.
User diversity shapes the workplace
Over their lifetime, the average person will spend an estimated 90,000 hours at work. With so much of life dedicated to a career, comfort and accessibility are paramount. But when it comes to a workspace that works, is it really one size fits all?
Adventures for all
Continuing its work to expand accessible recreation opportunities to those with physical disabilities, TVA recently donated $75,000 to Catalyst Sports to fund adventure programs and adaptive equipment throughout the region.
IwD Councils keep a pulse on inclusion at TVA
The many Inclusion Councils at TVA represent strategic business units, organizations and teams. Hear from each IwD Council lead as they discuss what their strategic business unit is doing to advance TVA’s culture of inclusion and what their goals are for the coming year.
“The TVA North Region embraces inclusion and diversity on our team and encourages our employees to bring their authentic selves to work every day. This enables and emboldens our team to better serve our customers, communities and public officials by providing a specialized stakeholder experience that takes into account the uniqueness of all the communities in our region and all of those we are fortunate to serve in partnership with our local power companies.”
– Justin Maierhofer, North Region executive
“Whether it’s supporting a workshop for a local school district or partnering with higher education institutions, including historically black colleges and universities in Alabama, we are responsive to stakeholder requests to collaborate and invest in partnerships that positively impact historically underserved communities. Every day, we are listening to our diverse stakeholders to understand their objectives and priorities so we can best serve them.”
– Jared Mitchem, South Region executive
“Now more than ever, our East Region team is collaborating with our local power company partners and communities to create partnerships that fully leverage opportunities where all individuals can participate and thrive. Through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, such as our support of Chattanooga’s Construction Career Center and our environmental justice outreach regarding the future of the Kingston Fossil Plant, we are helping to increase community engagement and awareness, foster greater innovation and creativity, and attract and retain talent.”
– Carol Eimers, East Region executive
“At TVA, we are committed to creating a more inclusive work environment. To do that, it’s important that our team reflects and understands the communities we serve. In the West Region, we’ve invested in workforce development opportunities to bring the world of STEM to students. We recently participated in a career fair with the Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis and opened a STEM center with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation at a Boys and Girls Club in Tupelo, Mississippi. It’s important to expose students of all ages to opportunities that are available right here in their community. We must continue to create avenues for individuals to pursue and train for in-demand fields and, most importantly, individuals finding their personal passion to serve others.”
- Mark Yates, West Region executive
Preserving Culture and History
Spotlight on the past
A commitment to diversity requires values to be generational, not static – acknowledging the past while creating equitable paths forward. TVA’s service territory spans many areas that carry historical and culture significance. The land beneath our feet is filled with customs, languages and traditions that span centuries. Along with being good stewards of the land itself, TVA’s specialists work to honor these stories.
The protection of customs and language is directly related to the preservation of the land and its people, Andrew Gordon, TVA HR technology manager, said. Gordon, champion of TVA’s Council of Native Americans Employee Resource Group, detailed the cultural and ecological value of river cane, specifically to Indigenous Tribes such as the Cherokee and Choctaw.
“River cane provided environmental value such as protective buffers along waterways, reducing runoff and erosion,” he said. “By putting effort into growing and spreading this native plant, we are helping this culturally significant basketry and land protection to continue.”
Where the beloved rest
Five historic cemeteries with 121 graves were relocated from the Gallatin Fossil Plant reservation to a new home at Crestview Memory Gardens in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Continuing Culture
The power of collaboration
A diverse culture is a healthy culture and, like an ecosystem, it can better withstand disturbance.
When people learn and grow from each other, they tap into the type of power only born of collaboration. And that collaboration generates trust. At TVA, every new perspective is valued. Individuality – not conformity – is at the heart of diversity-focused development. And rather than fade into the background, employees at TVA are invited to bring their entire selves – their vibrancy – to the table.
“It is important that you feel psychologically safe in the workplace, so rather than look at employees as just an asset doing work for TVA, we look at them as people and acknowledge what they bring to the table,” Tequilla Hurt, senior manager of Diversity and Inclusion, said. “If this culture is in place, a person’s evolution will happen organically. They will grow and advance in this space of work.”
“When I first started at TVA over 19 years ago, I had support – colleagues reaching out to ask how I was doing personally, not just about work,” she said.
GI Jobs Military Friendly Top 10 Diversity Supplier Program
#1 Rank
GI Jobs Military Friendly Employer Top 10 in Government & Non-Profit
#4 Rank
GI Jobs Military Friendly Spouse Employer
#7 Rank
GI Jobs Military Friendly Company Designated Brand
VETS Indexes 5-Star Employer
National Organization on Disability Leading Disability Employer
Diversity Inc Top Ranked Regional Companies
#12 Rank
Diversity Inc Top Companies for Utilities
#3 Rank
Forbes America's Best-In-State Employers for Tennessee
#8 Rank
By the Numbers
| Race | Gender | FY 2022 (10390 employees) | FY 2023 (10901 employees) |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian / Alaska Native | Female | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Male | 0.8% | 0.7% | |
| Asian | Female | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Male | 1.1% | 1.1% | |
| Black / African American | Female | 2.1% | 2.0% |
| Male | 4.7% | 4.6% | |
| Hispanic / Latino | Female | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Male | 0.9% | 1.0% | |
| Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander | Female | 0% | 0% |
| Male | <0.1% | <0.1% | |
| Two or More Races | Female | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Male | 1.1% | 1.6% | |
| White | Female | 17.5% | 17.6% |
| Male | 70.6% | 69.9% |