Wicker, Hyde-Smith Welcome Nomination of Bill Cook to TVA Board

President Trump Picks Oxford Entrepreneur for Five-Year Term

August 3, 2020

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today welcomed President Donald J. Trump’s nomination of Charles William “Bill” Cook, Jr., of Oxford to serve a five-year term on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Wicker and Hyde-Smith recommended Cook for the post earlier this year.

“Bill Cook is a terrific choice for the TVA board and would represent our state well as the only Mississippian on the panel,” Wicker said. “Bill has built a successful career managing complex networks of data and information and advising businesses to help them grow and prosper. I know he will bring the same vision and leadership to this position, which is critical to economic development and reliable energy in our state.”

"Bill Cook will bring the TVA a lot of experience in forward-leaning technologies, which have grown in importance to rural communities. The TVA and Mississippi will benefit from his service on the board of directors," Hyde-Smith said. "I will do everything I can to advocate for his prompt consideration and confirmation."

Cook has more than 30 years of experience in telecommunications networks and business. He currently serves as the CEO of Cook Consulting, LLC, where he advises clients on telecommunications issues and provides guidance and insight to corporate executive teams. In 2012, Cook founded SummitIG, a telecommunications and data infrastructure company, and served as CEO until 2019. Cook is a graduate of the University of Mississippi. He and his wife, Kara, live in Oxford with their two daughters.

TVA is a congressionally-chartered corporation that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving 10 million people in parts of seven Southeastern states, including North Mississippi. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.