NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gov. Bill Lee has recognized Jill Johnson, D.V.M., of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), with the Governor’s Excellence in Service Award for exceptional service to the state and her fellow Tennesseans.

Johnson is an animal health veterinary medical officer serving 13 Middle Tennessee counties. She joined TDA as a field staff veterinarian in 2003. Before that, Johnson was the first female veterinarian in Coffee County, working in private practice for 16 years in Manchester.

“Dr. Johnson’s years of experience, coupled with her willingness to help with any issue related to animal agriculture, make her invaluable to our department and the citizens she serves,” Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M., said. “Her instincts are strong, and she’s made significant contributions to the TDA’s Animal Health mission.”

Dr. Samantha Beaty, Tennessee state veterinarian, said, “She is a very efficient and effective employee, and Dr. Johnson is also very dedicated. She is one of our foreign animal disease diagnosticians. The best thing about Jill is that she believes in her mission and her work.”

TDA is short-staffed right now when it comes to foreign animal diagnosticians. As a result, they have asked Johnson to cover a lot of places not in her assigned 10 or 12-county area.

“We have a lot of meat processing facilities here, and so we do a lot of testing for foreign animal diseases (avian influenza, African swine fever, hoof and mouth disease),” Beaty said. “She has driven a third of the state to get to a meat processing facility to test an animal before it is processed to check for foreign animal diseases and keep commerce moving.”

TDA also takes complaints for livestock welfare abuse, Beaty explained. Johnson is good at being objective in her assessment. TDA tries to teach people how to better care for their animals and livestock. She is very good at getting people, who are not criminally neglectful but didn’t know better, in touch with the right people, whether it be a veterinarian or an extension agent.

Sometimes there are horse issues with people infecting their animals with equine infectious anemia by reusing needles. Those animals must be quarantined. Quarantining somebody’s property is hard, yet Johnson manages to build a rapport with those people. She establishes a relationship so they see that TDA is trying to help them manage the diseases and keep them from spreading versus punitively punishing them.

While performing routine veterinary medical officer tasks, Johnson often trains fellow state and federal veterinary services colleagues. Additionally, she connects law enforcement with animal resources to help care for and house animals seized during animal welfare investigations.

“Work associated with protecting animal health is continually changing, and that keeps it interesting,” Johnson said. “Having the opportunity to collaborate with many people in the ag industry is fulfilling. I strive to be an asset to the TDA Animal Health division team and beyond.”

Added Beaty: “We’re glad to have her on our team.”