FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2026
Contact: Rachel Anderson
C: 734-693-7009
New Board Members Elected to Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council
All will be formally introduced at the organization’s upcoming annual meeting on March 31
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC) has officially elected three new members to its board.
Chris Jones, President and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE); Tyler Mauldin, Global Energy and Infrastructure Lead, Google; and Kyle Spurgeon, President and CEO, Greater Jackson Chamber, have joined TAEBC’s board with an official introduction planned for March 31, 2026, at this year’s virtual annual meeting.
“Our new board members embody our commitment to evolving with the energy ecosystem and strengthening our leadership for the journey ahead. We’re incredibly proud to welcome such distinguished professionals to our leadership team at TAEBC, and I look forward to seeing the impact they’ll have for our state and the advanced energy sector as a whole,” said Robert Hardin, Ph.D., Board President of TAEBC and senior quality manager at Wacker Polysilicon North America.
Jones, Mauldin, and Spurgeon join TAEBC’s existing board members, representing a variety of Tennessee’s advanced energy sectors
Jones, a 27-year veteran of MTE, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he earned his degree in communications. During his tenure as CEO, Jones has navigated the organization through several severe weather events, significant technology upgrades, improvements in member satisfaction to best-in-class levels, and a merger with the Murfreesboro Electric Department. He helped spearhead efforts to persuade the State of Tennessee to allow electric cooperatives to provide broadband services to rural areas. In 2018, MTE acquired United Communications to expand broadband in underserved Middle Tennessee counties.
Mauldin’s expertise sits at the intersection of data centers and energy, with a singular mission: scaling the “modern-day industrial revolution” of AI and Cloud computing affordably, reliably, and sustainably. As a Lead on Google’s Infrastructure & Energy team, Mauldin orchestrates energy regulatory and policy strategies for complex energy markets. He holds an MBA and M.S. in Economics from Georgia Tech, and his background in meteorology and communication allows him to bridge the gap between technical experts and public stakeholders, ensuring clarity and buy-in at every level of the organization.
Before Spurgeon joined the chamber, he was vice-president, corporate relations for Jackson Energy Authority. He has also served as marketing director for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and helped facilitate project locations representing more than $8 billion in capital investment. He holds a B.S. in public relations/marketing from Murray State University.
To find out more information about this year’s TAEBC annual meeting, visit our event page. The event is free for current TAEBC members and elected officials. For non-members, it is $25 + Eventbrite fees.
For more information about TAEBC, visit tnadvancedenergy.com or contact Rachel Anderson at [email protected]
About Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC)
TAEBC champions advanced energy as an economic development and job creation strategy. Advanced energy is technology-neutral and includes electricity and transportation. Anything that makes energy cleaner, safer, more secure, or more efficient is in the tent. No other entity in the state concentrates specifically on this robust sector. We educate public officials and business leaders about Tennessee’s advanced energy economy, establish strategic partnerships to connect assets with opportunities, and inform policy that expands and strengthens the industry. TAEBC hosts the Energizing Tennessee podcast, which explores the latest news and insights about the advanced energy sector. For more information, visit https://tnadvancedenergy.com.
###
