Former Duke Energy and TVA Executive Joins Smith Anderson

RALEIGH, N.C. — Smith Anderson announces that David Fountain has joined the firm as Of Counsel, bringing decades of executive leadership in the energy, corporate governance, regulatory, and compliance sectors.

David works with the firm’s Business, Real Estate Development, and Energy teams, advising clients on strategic, legal, regulatory, and governance matters. Drawing on senior leadership roles with two of the nation’s largest energy organizations, Duke Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), he brings clients firsthand insight into the complex business and legal issues facing highly regulated companies and their executive teams.

Most recently, David served as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for TVA, the nation’s largest public power provider, serving 10 million people across seven states. At TVA, he advised the CEO, executive management team, and board of directors on legal, regulatory, governance, and compliance matters. He helped lead TVA to become the first federal agency recognized as an Ethics Compliance Leader by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

Before joining TVA, David spent two decades with Duke Energy and its legacy companies, Progress Energy and CP&L. His senior leadership roles included senior vice president—legal, chief ethics and compliance officer, and corporate secretary and North Carolina president. As North Carolina president, David helped lead Duke Energy’s North Carolina restoration efforts in the aftermath of devastating flooding from Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. He also served as vice president leading the Progress Energy legal department.

“David’s firsthand perspective and track record of navigating some of the most complex legal, regulatory, and governance challenges at the highest levels in the energy industry will be a tremendous asset to our clients and to the continued growth of our Energy, Real Estate Development, and Business teams,” said Managing Partner Byron Kirkland.

David has long been active in the community, serving in civic and nonprofit leadership across North Carolina. He currently serves as the board chair of the Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen. He has previously served as the board chair of the North Carolina Chamber, and as advisory board chair for Leadership North Carolina, the Alexander YMCA, and Marbles Kids Museum. He has also previously served as an advisory board member of the YMCA of the Triangle and Dix Park Conservancy.

Raised in the Piedmont Triad, David earned his Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, and Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He continues to support his alma mater, by serving as a founding member of the Energy Center Advisory Board at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He previously served on the UNC Board of Visitors and the Morehead-Cain Foundation’s Chapel Hill Regional Selection Committee.