Denton Named General Counsel for Agriculture
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville attorney Theresa Hughes Denton has been appointed to the position of General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture announced state Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens.
“Considering Theresa’s extensive experience in state government and in environmental law, she will be a great asset to the department and to the agricultural interests we serve,” said Givens. “This position is critically important to the department in serving the public in all the areas for which we have responsibility. We’re excited to have her join our staff.”
As general counsel, Denton will direct the department’s legal work related to food safety, animal and plant health, pesticides, business regulation, forestry and agricultural development. She will direct legal research and represent the department in civil and regulatory proceedings as well as other legal matters.
Denton has a doctorate in jurisprudence from the Nashville School of Law and an M.B.A from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. She received her bachelor’s degree in History and Sociology from Middle Tennessee State University.
Prior to her appointment, Denton served two years as Deputy General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. She also served as Environmental Legal Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation from 1994 to 2005, and as a staff attorney for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute.
Denton and her husband John reside in Nashville. They have three children; Ross, a junior at Nashville School of the Arts; Emily, a senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; and, Zach, a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Louisiana. Denton is an Elder at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.
Denton’s appointment was effective Aug. 1. She succeeds Phyllis Childs, who recently returned to the state Attorney General’s Office as Senior Counsel.