ASHLEY CAVENDER

Current office and 2026 campaign

Ashley Cavender is running as a Democrat for Washington County Commission District 3 in the August 6, 2026 general election, facing Republican nominee Jerome K. Fitzgerald ¹. Her campaign platform emphasizes "smart land use, healthy waterways, local food, and civic engagement," and her campaign site states she is running because "we deserve someone who will protect our land and put the citizens first" ².

Background and education

Cavender is a native of East Tennessee. She graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2015 and began her career with Jonesborough Locally Grown at Boone Street Market, according to her campaign biography ².

Career

Per her campaign site, Cavender currently serves as Director of Equitable Nutrition & Food Access with the Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council, focused on "conservation, local agriculture, and community-based initiatives" ². She has held roles as event coordinator at Visit Johnson City, director of the Meet the Mountains Festival, and volunteer and development coordinator for One Acre Cafe, and she serves on the Slow Food Tri-Cities team as Equitable Nutrition & Food Access Director, where she says she is "elated ... to work on meaningful initiatives that focus on local food and dignified access" ²³. She chairs Keep Jonesborough Beautiful, has contributed to the Johnson City Horizon 2045 long-range planning process, and has supported affordable-housing efforts with Unity Housing, per her campaign biography ².

Sources