{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nShelby F. Shankland is the Democratic Party nominee for Blount County Clerk on the August 6, 2026 county general election ballot, running to succeed retiring incumbent Gaye Hasty (R) [1][2]. She faces Republican nominee Brad Bryant and independent candidate Scott Keith Knight in the general [2].\n\n## Background and education\nPer her Daily Times \"Hats in the Ring\" candidate profile, Shankland describes herself as \"a heart-centered, compassionate leader with 20+ years in admin and people management\" and a 16-year Maryville resident who raised her family there with her husband, Scott [1].\n\n## Career\nBy her own account in the candidate profile, Shankland has more than 30 years of experience spanning administration, operations management, doula work for new families, and more than 15 years in project management, team leadership, and \"culture and leadership development consulting\" at what she describes as \"an award-winning adult learning and development company.\" She also says she spent a decade as a life coach and has a long background as a musician, playing flute in local orchestras [1]. These are candidate-described details from her campaign profile and have not been independently verified against employer records.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Dem: Blount County Clerk \u2014 Hats in the Ring, The Daily Times](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/dem-blount-county-clerk/pdf_78cac9ca-9e70-4efc-b630-2c7589c53b72.html), Marcus Fitzsimmons, April 2026 \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [August 6, 2026 Official Ballot for Blount County](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30077/August-6-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_clerk","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Clerk"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Shelby","fullname":"Shelby F. Shankland","lastname":"Shankland","middlename":"F.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_clerk","contest_title":"County Clerk","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_clerk","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_clerk","contest_title":"County Clerk","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_clerk","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"D","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_clerk","office_title":"County Clerk","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Maryville resident with 20+ years in administration and people management; Democratic nominee for Blount County Clerk in the August 6, 2026 general election.","terms":[],"token":"0mFy1Bh0fu"}