Tennessee Department of Agriculture

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Commissioner Ken Givens

Ken Givens was appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen and became Tennessee’s 34th commissioner of agriculture on Jan. 18, 2003.

Givens is a native of Rogersville where he grew up dairy, beef and tobacco farming.

He is a U.S. Army veteran and holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science as well as a master’s degree in political science from East Tennessee State University.

He was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1988, and he served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee from 1997 to 2002. He was the House of Representatives’ designee to and served for four years on the Tennessee Tobacco Farmers Certifying Board, which administered Phase II tobacco settlement funds for growers.

During his 14 years in the House, Givens was instrumental in passing key farm legislation including a measure to ensure the ability of existing farm operations to expand under Tennessee's right-to-farm law. He also sponsored important legislation regarding forest management and dairy farming. He took a special interest in school health issues, sponsoring and passing legislation that created pilot programs for the model school health initiative, now expanded statewide.

In April 2004, Governor Bredesen named Givens Chairman of the Governor’s Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse to develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of the drug, which has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of homegrown meth labs. Givens serves on the Tennessee Homeland Security Council to coordinate the department’s activities regarding animal health, chemical use, food safety and other security matters.

He is past-president of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture and currently serves as president of the Southern United States Trade Association, both organizations representing the agricultural interests of 15 southern states and two U.S. territories.

As commissioner of agriculture, he also serves on The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, the Board of Regents for the State University and Community College System, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission.

Commissioner Givens is married to Connie Hall Givens, who serves as state director of the Coordinated School Health Program in the Department of Education. They have three grown children and one wonderful granddaughter, Zoë.