Vivian Underwood Shipe

Current office and 2026 campaign

Vivian Underwood Shipe is the Democratic nominee for Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 11 in the August 6, 2026 general election, running against Republican Garrett Holt and independent David Velarde ¹. She has conducted months-long listening tours across all nine county districts ¹. Her priorities include expanding mental-health facilities and emergency psychiatric assessment centers, affordable housing using existing and empty buildings, education with trades programs and paid apprenticeships, a 24/7 county-wide "micro" green-bus transit system, and opposing data-center construction in Knox County ¹. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," she says ¹.

Background and education

Shipe, 70, is a graduate of Austin-East Magnet High School and earned an associate degree in marketing from Pellissippi State Community College ¹².

Career

She was a public servant for 35 years with the U.S. Postal Service, 25 of them as union president ².

Legislative record and accomplishments

For more than 30 years Shipe has been a Knoxville community advocate; she is founder and director of the nonprofit I AM The Voice of the Voiceless, a founding member of the Faith Leaders Health Initiative, a Knoxville Utilities Board advocate, and a Tennessee Tribune journalist ²³. Her advocacy helped push the city, county, state and McNabb Center to open a Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center jail-diversion program for people with mental illness ². She serves on the boards of the East Tennessee Eye Bank and the League of Women Voters and is active with the East Knox Lions Club ².

Sources