Todd Bobo and Lisa Turner have been elected to serve on the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration board. Both are second-generation board members.

The election took place Jan. 28 at the annual meeting of Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Association.

Turner, whose father Bailey Little is a past director, becomes the first woman to serve on the board.

Bobo is also a legacy on the board as his father, John T. Bobo, retired from the Celebration board at the end of 2018. Bobo and Turner join chairman Rick Insell, David Crowell, Scott Johnson, Jeffrey Howard and Jody Lambert on the board.

Turner joins the board after a long professional and personal career in Shelbyville and Bedford County. She is a 1979 graduate of Shelbyville Central High School and received her accounting degree in 1983 from the University of Tennessee. She has been married to Roy Turner for 35 years and has two sons.

After working for local accounting firm, Winnett Associations, Turner served as the city treasurer for Shelbyville from 1988-1993 and has since been a self-employed CPA. She is a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church and has served as a deacon, elder and trustee. Turner has been on the Celebration Association since 2008 and has attended the Celebration her entire life.

"I agreed to serve on the Celebration board because it has always been an important part of my life," said Turner. "My parents started taking me and my sister when we were just four and two years old and we fell in love with the beautiful horses and all the people who came to see them. In my time as City Treasurer years ago, I saw firsthand what the Celebration means to our community and what a treasure it is for our small town. I want to do whatever I can to help preserve the tradition so that my grandchildren can have the same wonderful experiences that I had growing up going to the show.

"Being the first female to serve on the board is an honor. I think each board member brings with them different points of view that make the board much stronger. I hope to bring a different perspective that does just that."

Bobo also has a long history in Shelbyville and being a part of the community and The Celebration. He is a 1993 graduate of Shelbyville Central High School and a 1997 graduate of the University of Tennessee. Bobo received his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 2000.

After graduating from law school, Bobo returned to Shelbyville to join his family's law firm, Bobo, Hunt & White, where he continues to work today. Bobo and his wife of 16 years, Cynthia, have three boys. Bobo has served on many of Bedford County's non-profit boards.

"I am thrilled to be joining a great board that is part of such an important organization within our community," said Bobo. "I have been able to witness some of that importance from my father's time as a director. I look forward to serving and helping to continue and grow such an important tradition in our community."