A TVA engineer who has helped the federal utility comply with national reliability and interconnection standards was recognized Thursday as the TVA Engineer of the Year.
Marjorie Parsons, an electrical engineer with 31 years of TVA experience, was presented the Ike Zeringue Engineer of the Year award, which is named after TVA's former chief nuclear officer, during the TVA's board meeting in Chattanooga.
Parsons is the first female engineer to ever win the top TVA engineering award and she will now be eligible to compete as a finalist in the Federal Engineer of the Year Award, which will be presented Feb. 22 in Washington D.C.
Parsons has been an industrial technical leader in the development of standards impacting regional grid reliability. TVA has maintained at least 99.999 percent reliable power delivery in each of the past 19 years.
"Marjorie's leadership has helped make TVA's power grid one of the most reliable in the nation - a key factor when companies choose to relocate or expand in our region," TVA President Bill Johnson said in presenting the award Thursday.
Over the past eight years, Parsons has helped ensure TVA's compliance with national reliability standards, making the Tennessee Valley one of the few regions in the country without a major blackout.
"Marjorie has distinguished herself as a leader who tirelessly helps keep electricity flowing to our homes and businesses," said Bob Dairymple, TVA senior vice president of transmission and power supply. "More importantly, her work to guide the development and implementation of reliability standards ensures the continued high performance of the TVA grid to help create a brighter future for our children."