Ken Givens was appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen as Tennessee’s 34th Commissioner of Agriculture on December 19, 2002.

Givens was a former State Representative and House Agriculture Committee Chairman. During his 14 years in the House, Givens was instrumental in passing key legislation related to agriculture.

In 2002, Givens sponsored a measure to ensure the ability of existing farm operations to expand under Tennessee's right-to-farm law. In 1998, he sponsored legislation allowing Tennessee to join the Southern Dairy Compact to ensure that dairies receive reasonable prices for the milk they produce. A year earlier, he cosponsored legislation creating the state's Forestry Management Advisory Panel to evaluate and recommend sound forestry management practices.

Givens was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1988. He served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee from 1997 to 2002. In addition to agriculture issues, he took a special interest in children's health care issues.

Givens, 55, is a Rogersville native. He is a member of the American Legion and the Hawkins County Cattleman's Association. Givens, a U.S. Army veteran, 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