Shelby Vannoy has been named assistant director for Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation’s Public Policy Division announced TFBF Executive Vice President Rhedona Rose.
Vannoy’s role as assistant director will focus on state policy. She will work with the public policy lobbying team, Hensley and Laura Leigh Harris, to accomplish legislative priorities in the General Assembly. She will also work on policy development and tracking of election cycles.
“Shelby has developed an outstanding reputation in her previous roles in Nashville. She is known for her dependability, work ethic and integrity,” said Rose. “Her knowledge and understanding of the process in Nashville coupled with her passion for agriculture make her a great addition to public policy.”
Vannoy and her husband, Coty, have been active members of Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers since becoming eligible to join. Shelby interned with the Tennessee Farm Bureau public policy division in 2017 and has since worked primarily in the legislature in various roles.
“Shelby brings vast legislative experience to the public policy team and a passion to better the agriculture industry,” said Hensley. “I began working with Shelby when she was an intern with us and have since worked with her in the other stops in her career. She has a charismatic personality and maintains strong relationships with legislators and their staff, and I look forward to her joining our team.”
A native of Rutherford County, Vannoy was actively involved in FFA, serving as a regional and state officer. While in college at the University of Tennessee at Martin, she majored in agricultural business and minored in political science. Since graduating in 2018, Vannoy has worked with a Gubernatorial campaign, the Tennessee Electric Cooperative and as a legislative assistant for the Tennessee General Assembly. In accepting the Farm Bureau role, she will be departing the American Council of Engineering Companies Tennessee/Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers where she serves as assistant director.
The Vannoys currently reside in Lebanon where they have a registered Dorset and Tunis flock, sell USDA-inspected beef, pork and lamb, and grow a variety of summer produce and custom hay. Coty also serves as an agricultural education teacher and FFA advisor at Beech High School.
“I am thrilled to join the Tennessee Farm Bureau public policy division,” said Vannoy. “As the voice of agriculture in Tennessee, Farm Bureau provides Tennessee producers with a grassroots tool kit to better prepare them for changes in industry, and I look forward to playing a small role in the greater cause of preserving our state’s most vital resources and bringing awareness to such issues.”
