Alumni Spotlight-Chelsea Ivens
After graduating from the University of Tennessee in 2012, Chelsea Ivens moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a career in the political sphere. Her experience on Capitol Hill began with an internship in U.S. Congressman Phil Roe’s office, where she received a behind-the-scenes look into the nation’s political nucleus. This internship launched Chelsea into the world of public policy and federal government.
In 2013, Chelsea eagerly accepted her first job working for U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn of the 7th Congressional District of Tennessee. While working for Congressman Blackburn, Chelsea turned her focus to policy research and analysis and legislative correspondence.
In 2014, Chelsea accepted a position off the Hill working in government relations for the private correctional facility CoreCivic. In this role, Chelsea utilized her experience in policy analysis and communications to serve as a liaison between company executives and members of Congress to help educate policy makers of the company’s benefits and initiatives.
When Congressman Blackburn announced her bid for Tennessee’s open U.S. Senate seat in October of 2017, Chelsea moved to Nashville to serve on the campaign as Blackburn’s Deputy Finance Director. In this role, Chelsea assisted in developing the financial strategy for the campaign’s statewide fundraising efforts, including coordinating events with the President and Vice President of the United States. Blackburn’s historic win in November of 2018 makes her the first woman to serve as a U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee.
Following the election, Chelsea moved to East Tennessee where she currently serves as Senator Marsha Blackburn’s Field Director. In this role, Chelsea manages the Senator’s public outreach for the Knoxville office and seventeen surrounding counties and coordinates efforts to help constituents in need of federal assistance.
Chelsea grew up in White Pine, Tennessee, a small town east of Knoxville. While at UT, Chelsea dedicated much of her time to her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she served as Vice President of Correspondence her senior year. Chelsea was also a member of the Communications Studies Club and participated in the Club’s annual trip to D.C. coordinated by Communications Studies Director, Dr. John Haas, which piqued her interest for post-graduation plans.