Roberson lands TRA director seat

Gov. Phil Bredesen this week named Eddie Roberson a director to the Tennessee Regulatory Authority. He replaces former director Debi Tate, whom President George Bush recently appointed as commissioner at the FCC. The Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) was created in 1996 to meet the challenge of the changing telecommunications and utility environment. The TRA holds the responsibility of setting the rates and service standards for privately owned telephone, natural gas, electric and water utilities. “I’m pleased Eddie Roberson has agreed to serve the Tennessee Regulatory Authority in this new capacity,” Bredesen said. “His 31 years of state regulatory experience and broad management experience made him the best choice to fill this position. I know he will serve the state and its citizens well in this new role.” Roberson joined TRA in 1975, which was then known as the Public Service Commission. Since then he has worked as a consumer protection specialist, a telecommunications analyst, and in 1989 received an appointment to the agency’s division chief of Consumer Services and External Affairs. From 1995 to 1996, he served as interim executive director during the agency’s transition from Public Service Commission to TRA. “I am honored to be appointed by Governor Bredesen as a director to the Tennessee Regulatory Authority,” said Roberson. “I have pledged to the Governor to devote all my energies to work with my fellow TRA directors toward ensuring that all Tennesseans have access to safe, reliable and affordable utility services and that the pro consumer competitive forces in the telecommunications sector are allowed to work.” Roberson, a Chattanooga native, holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in organizational psychology from The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and a doctorate degree in public administration from Tennessee State University, Nashville. He is a member of the American Society of Public Administrators and currently serves as chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commission’s Consumer Affairs Committee. He is also a Rule 31 Mediator. The TRA’s leadership is established by the governor and the two highest ranking members of the Tennessee General Assembly - the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House. Roberson joins current directors of the TRA Pat Miller, Sara Kyle, and Chair Ron Jones. For more information, visit http://tennessee.gov/tra/