United States Department of Agriculture

Hello! I am Debra Kenserson, the NASS State Statistician for Tennessee. I grew up on a small crop and livestock farm in Winnsboro, Louisiana. I consider myself fortunate to have learned the importance of agriculture and being a good steward of the land at an early age. I was so passionate about the field that I attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics. After graduation, I began my career with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in the Austin, Texas, field office. After four years in Texas, I accepted a transfer to Phoenix, Arizona. Five years later, I moved to Washington D.C. to work at NASS Headquarters. I moved a lot in those years, but moving was essential to learning different types of agriculture and agricultural practices across the U.S.

Prior to becoming State Statistician for Tennessee, my current position, I served as a Field Office Statistician, Deputy State Statistician, Headquarters Statistician, Headquarters Section Head, and Assistant to the Associate Administrator. I have been with NASS for 35 years. Since transferring to the Tennessee field office 17 years ago, I have formed professional and personal relationships that will last a lifetime. Several agricultural organizations have given me the opportunity to attend and participate in their meetings. I have shared and continue to share the NASS mission and how our data affects the agricultural community.

Aside from publishing estimates that are essential for measuring the health of agriculture and determining its contribution to the state's economy, my career is helping people. It is the State Statistician's responsibility to work with as many individuals and organizations as we can. We have to know our state's agriculture and what's going on with it, from legislation to being able to readily provide agricultural facts and data. We have to be unfailing, uncompromising advocates for our state and for agriculture.