Hannah Wright is a fifth-generation farmer, third-generation angus cattle producer and a third-generation 4-H member – to say she has a legacy in farming and Tennessee 4-H would be quite the understatement. With grandparents and parents who all showed beef cattle through 4-H, it’s no surprise that as soon as Hannah was in fourth grade, she hit the ground running to make her own legacy in the organization.
“When I joined in the fourth grade, there really wasn’t an option,” says Wright, who grew up in Rhea County. “I knew I was going to be in 4-H, but I had no clue what kind of opportunities were ahead of me.”
Throughout her 4-H years, Hannah tried her hand at a little bit of everything 4-H had to offer. During that time, she also visited the University of Tennessee, Knoxville several times thanks to the strong connection between 4-H and the university, which meant UT was an obvious choice when deciding where she would attend college.
“Due to my 4-H involvement, especially being from the Eastern Region, we had a lot of our regional activities on campus,” Wright says. “I had a lot of exposure to the university at a very early age, and just knew it was where I wanted to go.”
Hannah started college studying animal science with the hopes of attending vet school, but quickly changed once she took a few agriculture business classes and saw the different opportunities available with that degree. Looking back, that decision majorly changed the trajectory of Hannah’s future career.
“After changing degrees, I was still going to graduate a semester early, and I really didn’t want to do that. I wanted to graduate in May with everyone else,” Wright says. “So, my good friend and fellow 4-Her, Kevin Hensley, actually encouraged me to do an internship at the state legislature because of my love of politics.”
And that’s exactly what Hannah did. She spent her last semester in Nashville interning with Representative Curtis Halford, who was chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at the time.
“That spring semester I absolutely fell in love with the Tennessee General Assembly and the legislative process and how it all worked in Nashville,” Wright says.
Because of how much she enjoyed the semester, it was a no-brainer to say yes to staying after graduation and serving as a research analyst for the agriculture committee and Chairman Halford. After being in that role for two years and obtaining her master’s degree, Hannah decided it was time to return a little closer to home and found herself back at her alma mater.
“My first job back at UT Knoxville was working with value-added agriculture in the agriculture economics department,” Wright says. “I worked with producers on how to diversify and gain additional income.”
Three years and a doctorate later, another opportunity came open for Hannah in UT Extension. She worked on their federal and state reporting and did some evaluation type work. Then, in 2022, Hannah moved into her current role – director of stakeholder community engagement in the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President.
“I work with all the commodity groups across Tennessee and try to ensure we [UTIA] are providing the state with the resources they need,” Wright says. “I try to listen well and be a liaison between the chancellor’s office and our industry partners. I also work with our government relations team in Nashville whenever they have agriculture issues come up.”
On top of all her duties for UTIA, Hannah continues to make the best better by finding time to give back to 4-H, especially to those students involved in the public speaking and communications projects.
Wright says, “I really feel that was the project that helped mold me into the person I am. I was a very quiet fourth grader, and through public speaking and communications, I found a way to share my story and my passion for the beef cattle industry, and that quickly expanded to all of agriculture.”
Hannah’s years of showing cattle might be over, but her involvement and support for Tennessee 4-H is stronger than ever.