Matthew J. McClanahan

Matthew J. McClanahan serves as the general counsel for Tennessee’s Department of Agriculture (TDA), bringing extensive experience in agricultural law, regulatory compliance, administrative law, and litigation management. As general counsel, he provides legal counsel to the department, supports agency leadership, oversees legal matters, and helps ensure the department fulfills its mission of serving, supporting, and promoting agriculture and forestry.

Before joining TDA, Matthew was a managing partner at his law firm in Crossville, focusing on government relations, civil litigation, agricultural and environmental matters, and business matters. He was the executive director of the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts, where he worked closely with conservation leaders and agricultural stakeholders across the state to conserve and enhance Tennessee’s natural resources.

Matthew earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He graduated magna cum laude from Tennessee Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and a minor in History.

Matthew serves as the Public Policy Chair for the Cumberland County Chamber and is active in his local community. A third-generation Tennessean, he was raised on his family’s farm in Cumberland County. He and his wife, Lauren, have a son, Adam Claude.