Faculty Profile: Theresa Denton

Theresa Denton serves as the General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. In her capacity, she directs the department’s legal work in all areas within the department, including legal research, civil and regulatory proceedings, employee relations, rulemaking and legislative matters. She is listed as a Rule 31 Mediator and serves as a mediator for the Tennessee Department of Human Resource’s Employee Mediation Program under the T.E.A.M. Act. Prior to joining the Department, she 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. Ms. Denton is a 2010 graduate of the Tennessee Government Executive Institute (TGEI), sponsored by the University of Tennessee, Institute for Public Service. She also serves on the Nashville Bar Association’s Government Attorneys Continuing Legal Education Committee. She is a member of the American Agricultural Law Association and served on the Planning Committee for the Association's 2012 National Symposium. In addition to her professional duties, she serves the community in a leadership position on the Middle Tennessee Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry. Ms. Denton has a law degree 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.