The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the forthcoming retirement of CEO Don Moul, whose brief tenure leading the publicly owned utility only started on April 9, 2025. The decision came just weeks after President Donald Trump signed a White House memo directing the federal government to cap the pay of TVA executives, including Moul, which would have cut his compensation in half.
According to the notice TVA provided to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Moul announced his retirement last Friday and intends to retire on July 1.
Moul’s decision was announced just over three weeks after Trump released his White House memorandum, Promoting Fiscal Responsibility in Compensation Practices at the Tennessee Valley Authority, which instructed the TVA board to “adopt and implement policies establishing a maximum total annual compensation limit of $500,000 for all TVA employees, including the Chief Executive Officer.”
Trump gave the TVA board 90 days to adopt the policy and 120 days to inform the White House that the adoption was successful.
His decision to depart the company comes amid a series of shifts in TVA’s board composition since Trump reentered the White House last year, with the board members only recently able to form a quorum again. The majority of board members have now been appointed by Trump. One additional board member appointed by the president, Lee Beaman, is awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Amid changes in the TVA board’s composition, the publicly owned utility has also changed its stance on electricity sources, embracing modern nuclear facilities and once again promoting clean coal for energy production.
Though Moul’s tenure at TVA has been quiet, Trump publicly feuded with his predecessor, Jeff Lyash, during the president’s first term in the White House.
– – –
Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Thank you, President Trump for returning some since of fiscal responsibility to the TVA. A runaway operation until you took corrective action.
Why the retirement? Do TVA officials fall under the federal government’s High-3 Retirement Plan? Could it be that staying longer would reduce his retirement compensation? If so, leaving now is the right decision.
Although … is there another reason for his departure? Higher pay elsewhere? Family or Health? TDS?