{"county":"shelby","description":"Shelby County Commissioners are the 13 members of the county's legislative body. Each represents a single-member district, and together they pass resolutions and ordinances, approve the annual county budget, set the property-tax rate, and set countywide policy. They attend regular Monday commission meetings and Wednesday committee meetings and must complete at least seven hours of continuing education each year through the UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS).\n\n**Salary:** $34,900/year ([Action News 5, Dec 2021](https://www.actionnews5.com/2021/12/21/pay-raises-approved-elected-officials-shelby-county/)).","district":"5","districtgroup":"county_commission","id":67,"key":"county_commission_district_5","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Shante K. Avant","next_election":"2018-11-08","notes":"77","officegroup":"county_commission","partisan":0,"party":"","qualities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, intergovernmental \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law and the Shelby County Charter.\n- Budget literacy: the 13-member commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes bond issues that span decades.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; chairing or sitting on committees that pre-screen items.\n- Constituent relations in a single-member district of roughly 70,000 residents \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-08-04","term_start":"2022-08-04","term_years":4,"terms":[{"current":1,"description":"","electiondate":"2022-08-04","name":"Shante K. Avant","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nShante Avant was elected to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners on August 4, 2022, to represent District 5. She is a native of Memphis and earned her BA in Psychology and Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee.\n\nShante was a member of the Shelby County Board of Education representing District 6 until 2022. She serves as deputy director for the Women\u2019s Foundation for Greater Memphis (WFGM) and manages its staff and operations. She also has 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. \n\nCommanding over 20 years of non-profit experience, Shante K. Avant works towards the economic security of thousands of women and their families in the Greater Memphis Area every day. As Deputy Director of the Women\u2019s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM), she manages staff, operations, and fund development. She is responsible for grant allocations, fostering strategic partnerships within the corporate community, stewarding relationships with local and national foundations and local community-based organizations, institutional giving, and large donor stewardship.\n\nAvant\u2019s local community involvements include serving as Chair of the Shelby County School Board. She represents District 6 which includes the South Memphis, Riverside, Westwood, and Whitehaven communities. She is a board member for Clean Memphis and serves on the advisory boards for the University of Memphis College of Social Work and the New Memphis Institute.\n\nShe has one daughter named Peyton.\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n- **2026** \u2014 [County Commission (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=AVANT&id=61851&f=197886&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2025** \u2014 [County Commission (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=AVANT&id=61851&f=188364&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2024** \u2014 [County Commission (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=AVANT&id=61851&f=179246&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n\n*Source: [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm). Scraped 2026-04-25.*\n","firstname":"Shante","lastname":"Avant","middlename":"K.","token":"I3OzK82mKK"},"term_end":"2026-08-04","term_start":"2022-08-04"}],"title":"County Commissioner District 5","type":"legislative","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-25 19:49:19"}