Rebecca Tolene

Chief Sustainability Officer, Tennessee Valley Authority

Rebecca Tolene serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer at TVA, the nation’s largest public power provider. She has over nineteen years of experience in the utility industry and is responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of the company’ sustainability strategy-- the core focus being TVA’s commitment to being a leader in creating the clean energy economy of the future. She has a proven track record of leading teams to develop clear strategies that improve business results and enhance employee engagement.

Rebecca has served in numerous executive leadership roles with TVA, including as deputy general counsel; she also led the Natural Resources organization, TVA’s law enforcement and emergency management, its strategic real estate organization, corporate board governance, and the supply chain team.

While serving as deputy general counsel, Rebecca developed an attorney progression system and techniques to better tie TVA’s in-house attorneys to the business. She led the initiative to update TVA’s natural resource strategies and land policies, provided oversight on annual projects to protect biodiversity, and increased public access and recreation throughout the reservoir system. She also reduced land acquisition and disposal costs by 10% and developed a real property strategy to reflect TVA’s operational needs while working to dispose of excess properties. She strengthened the TVA Police organization, developing physical security plans to meet new regulatory requirements and provide more security at our critical infrastructure sites. She assisted the TVA Board of Directors in establishing best-practices in governance, including restructuring board committees and charters to better reflect a strategic review level, supporting successful transitions of two CEOs and leading a team in negotiating a resolution to pension system concerns.

Rebecca is a strong believer in building rapport and trust and collaborating with teams to deliver meaningful outcomes. In 2019, Rebecca was named the environmental executive and Chief Sustainability Officer for TVA.

Rebecca lives in Knoxville with her husband, James, and two children, Kathryn and William. You can reach Rebecca at rctolene@tva.gov.