Kilgore earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University. During college, he worked as an intern with TVA. He served in the US Army from 1970 to 1972.

 

Kilgore worked for Arkansas Power and Light Company and the Department of Defense at Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas before joining Oglethorpe Power Corporation in Georgia in 1984. He held numerous management positions, becoming president and chief executive officer in 1991 and serving in that capacity until 1998, when he left to join Carolina Power & Light as director of fossil fuel plants and later as senior vice president of power operations.

 

Kilgore came to TVA in March 2005 ater seven years with Progress Ventures (a subsidiary of Progress Energy), where he served as president and chief executive officer. The company has a diverse portfolio of energy-related businesses in fuel extraction, transportation, energy marketing, energy trading, and other areas.

 

Kilgore serves on the board of directors of the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation and has served on the boards of directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the United States Council for Energy Awareness. He has also been a member of the industry advisory board of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 2002, he was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

 

As president and CEO of TVA, Kilgore earned $2.2 million in the year endeing September 30, 2008.

 

Official Bio

Outrageous Move, TVA Raises CEO Tom Kilgore’s Compensation (by Amarendra Bhushan, CEOWorld Magazine)