Washington, D.C. – President George W. Bush has decided to appoint former Tupelo Mayor, Glenn L. McCullough, Jr., to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Senators Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, and U.S. Representative Roger Wicker announced today.

McCullough has served on the TVA board since he was selected in 1999 to fill one of the vacant positions on the three-member board. McCullough is the first Mississippian to serve on the board since Frank Smith who was appointed by President Kennedy.

Senator Cochran said, "Glenn McCullough is an excellent choice for this position. I'm sure he will use his good judgement and his wide range of experience to be an outstanding leader of this agency."

"President Bush has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Tennessee Valley Authority and the region it serves with today's naming of Glenn McCullough as TVA chairman," Senator Lott said. "I know Glenn McCullough will provide excellent leadership for TVA and will serve with distinction as the first Mississippian to chair this important agency."

Representative Wicker said, "I applaud the President's selection of Glenn McCullough to be Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority. This is a time of great change and opportunity in the electricity industry, and I can think of no one more qualified to lead TVA in meeting those challenges than Glenn. His unique mix of intellect, fairness, and ability to get things done have already proved to be tremendous assets for TVA. They will serve him well as he assumes the chairman's gavel."