Growing up in the small town of Eclectic, Alabama, Jonathan Sides entered the field of engineering as a means to a better life.
Now, after a decade of service at Tennessee Valley Authority, he considers it one of the best decisions he ever made.
“I can’t imagine anywhere better than this to work,” he said.
Sides joined TVA in 2015 under the Bulk Transmission Planning team and later moved into Customer Planning. Eventually, he transitioned to the Power Quality team, where he now serves as a power system engineering specialist.
Over the past five years, he has carved out a niche in Power Quality, managing the phasor measurement unit program.
And despite the technical nature of his work, Sides finds the greatest joy in the social aspects of his role.
“In my opinion, I honestly don’t think I could ask for a better group of people to work with at TVA,” he said. “Everybody is an expert in their field and they’re extremely passionate about what they do. I usually spend time out of my day just teambuilding – talking to Operations and catching up with various people around the organization. It’s the highlight of my day.”