President Donald Trump has announced three Tennesseans as nominees to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors, including local auto magnate and Republican donor Lee Beaman.
According to a release from the White House, Trump also nominated Mitch Graves and Jeff Hagood to serve on the board of the massive federal utility entity. Graves serves as CEO of West Cancer Center and Research Institute in Germantown, Tenn., and sits on the Memphis Light, Gas and Water board. Hagood is a Knoxville attorney and member of the Knoxville Sports Authority Board. Also nominated for the TVA body is Randall Jones of Alabama.
Auto dealer and conservative political donor Lee Beaman is temporarily leaving Belmont University’s board as he faces allegations of “degradat…
In 2020, Beaman sold his auto dealership empire — including his highly visible Broadway business in Midtown — to Hudson Automotive Group of Charleston, S.C. He later sold his Midtown property to Brentwood-based GBT Realty, which plans for the site a multibuilding mixed-use project called MidCity.
Beaman, known for his Republican Party fundraising, was a vocal opponent of mass transit proposals by former Mayors Karl Dean and Megan Barry. In 2018, he stepped down from multiple board positions in the wake of a contentious, high-profile divorce.
Trump’s nominees will need U.S. Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Beaman will serve a term expiring May 18, 2030. Hagood and Graves would serve until May 18, 2029.
The nominations come after Trump fired three Biden-nominated board members, each having been dismissed since March.
Just four of nine seats are filled, leaving Nashville’s powerful energy suppliers constrained by law
Now with only three members, the TVA Board of Directors typically offers nine individuals, with five required to constitute a quorum.
Relatedly, Trump has nominated Braden Boucek, a Nashville native and former federal prosecutor, to serve as United States attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. He replaces Henry Leventis, who announced his resignation after Trump became president — not unusual for the position.
Previously, Boucek worked as vice president of legal affairs at conservative think tank Beacon Center and, most recently, as director of litigation at the Southeastern Legal Foundation, also a conservative entity.
In addition, the president has nominated David Dunavant to serve as United States attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
A previous version of this article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
