Dr. Adam Travis, Assistant Commissioner for Consumer and Industry Services

As Assistant Commissioner for Consumer and Industry Services (CIS), Dr. Adam Travis supervises the regulation of a wide range of products and services to ensure quality, consumer protection, public safety, and a fair marketplace. CIS administers programs and licensing for food and dairy, weights and measures, fuel quality, agricultural inputs, grain dealers and warehouses, pesticides, plant health, and prevention of youth access to tobacco.

Dr. Travis joined the department in 2017 as a chemist and was promoted to laboratory administrator in May 2020. He played an active role in modernizing the laboratory’s operations, including bringing additional state-of-the-art instrumentation online, transitioning to a new laboratory information management system, and expanding the division’s scope of services.

In 2021, he was honored with a Governor’s Excellence in Service Award for his customer-focused service, implementation of cost-saving measures, and efficient operation of TDA laboratories.

Dr. Travis holds a baccalaureate degree from The University of Tennessee at Martin, where he graduated summa cum laude and as a University Scholar. His doctoral degree was earned at Vanderbilt University, where he was a University Graduate Fellow and a member of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology. His research at Vanderbilt focused on chemical characterization techniques, biological interactions of gold nanoparticles, enzymatic biosensors, and microfluidic devices used for developing model systems.

A lifelong Tennessean, Dr. Travis was born and raised in the mid-state. There are several small farms in his family, so he has been surrounded by agriculture in some way throughout his life. Outside of work, he is passionate about volunteering in his community, particularly with food pantries, and enjoys camping, board games with family and friends, and playing with his two dogs.