Thomas Agnew

Regulatory Operations | Digital Communications | Public-Facing Systems | Community Leadership 

I am a Virginia-based regulatory, operations, and communications professional with experience in state government, digital marketing, customer service leadership, public-facing technology support, and community program operations.

My current work with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services involves reviewing charitable organization registration filings, analyzing supporting financial documentation, communicating regulatory requirements, maintaining accurate electronic records, and supporting users of an online registration system. This work has strengthened my ability to interpret requirements, explain complex processes clearly, identify recurring workflow barriers, and support practical improvements.

Alongside my state government experience, I own and operate Agnew Marketing LLC, where I support small businesses, nonprofits, equestrian organizations, and community groups with websites, branding, digital content, analytics, and public-facing communications.

My background combines state government regulatory work, digital communications, customer service leadership, technical support, and extensive community program operations. The experiences below represent the areas that most directly shape my professional approach: careful review, clear communication, practical problem solving, user support, training, event coordination, and process improvement.

Each role has been different, but the common thread is consistent: I work best in environments where I can understand a process, support the people using it, identify where confusion or inefficiency occurs, and help create clearer, more practical solutions.

Core strengths:
Regulatory review · Online registration support · Public communication · Digital content · Website management · Training · Process improvement · Customer service · Event operations · Community engagement

• Bass Pro Shops

• Customer Service Supervisor / Front End Team Lead / Traveling Trainer

• Ashland, Virginia

• My experience with Bass Pro Shops provided a strong foundation in operations, supervision, customer service, training, documentation, technical support, and large-scale organizational change. In a high-volume outdoor retail environment, I supervised front-end operations including customer service, cashiering, greeters, phone support, and cash office functions.

• This role required daily decision-making, team coordination, schedule management, problem solving, and direct support for both employees and customers. I regularly handled escalated customer service situations, supported business operations, maintained coverage across front-end functions, trained new and existing staff, and helped ensure that procedures were followed consistently.

• A major part of this experience was being selected as a Traveling Trainer during the Cabela’s acquisition. In that role, I traveled to stores across the country to provide hands-on operational training and system support during a major company transition. This included helping store teams learn new procedures, use new systems, troubleshoot issues during launch periods, and adapt to new operational expectations.

• Key Areas of Experience

• Team Leadership & Daily Operations
  I supervised front-end teams averaging approximately 30 employees. Responsibilities included assigning work, monitoring coverage, supporting daily workflow, responding to operational needs, and helping maintain consistent service standards in a busy retail environment.

• Training & Staff Development
  I provided onboarding, refresher training, and situational training for employees across front-end functions. This included helping staff understand customer service expectations, register procedures, cash handling requirements, internal systems, and department-specific processes.

• Scheduling & Workflow Coordination
  I created schedules, adjusted coverage, responded to staffing needs, and coordinated work assignments to support customer traffic, department priorities, and business continuity.

• Customer Service & Escalation Handling
  I handled complex or escalated customer service situations and helped resolve issues professionally while balancing customer experience, company policy, and operational requirements.

• Cash Office, Audits & Financial Controls
  My responsibilities included supporting cash office procedures, register audits, cash accountability, over/short review, deposits, and related documentation. This experience built strong habits around accuracy, accountability, internal controls, and recordkeeping.

• Technical & System Support
  I supported registers, proprietary desktop applications, workstations, printers, and front-end technology. I also created FAQs, how-to guides, and troubleshooting instructions to help employees use systems more effectively.

• Corporate Training & Change Support
  During the Cabela’s acquisition, I served as a Traveling Trainer and provided hands-on training to store teams during a significant operational transition. This experience strengthened my ability to explain new systems, support users under pressure, adapt to different environments, and help teams through change.

• Inventory, Merchandising & Public Engagement
  I also supported inventory counts, audit coordination, merchandising, regional product recommendations, promotional events, public seminars, and customer engagement programs.

• Transferable Strengths

• This experience translates well to roles involving supervision, operations management, training, technical support, customer service leadership, business administration, retail or facility operations, process implementation, project support, and organizational change.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE & COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

• Virginia 4-H Horse Program

• Operations & Communications Manager / Steering Committee & Advisory Board Member

• Volunteer Leadership

• My longstanding involvement with the Virginia 4-H Horse Program has provided extensive experience in large-event operations, communications, volunteer coordination, vendor management, youth programming, public instructions, event logistics, safety guidance, and organizational planning.

• As Operations and Communications Manager for the Virginia 4-H State Horse Show, I help support one of the program’s major statewide events. The event involves hundreds of youth participants and a much larger community of families, trainers, volunteers, vendors, guests, and program supporters. My work includes preparing public-facing instructions, supporting event logistics, coordinating communications, managing vendor-related processes, helping address on-site operational questions, and contributing to program planning through committee and advisory involvement.

• This experience is especially valuable because it combines communications, operations, policy/rule development, stakeholder service, public engagement, event planning, and problem solving in a real-world environment where clear information and practical coordination are essential.

• Key Areas of Experience

• Large-Scale Event Operations
  I support planning and operations for the Virginia 4-H State Horse Show, including logistics, participant communication, arrival and check-in instructions, equipment needs, show flow, vendor coordination, and on-site issue resolution.

• Communications Management
  I manage or support event communications through website updates, email lists, social media, BAND app notifications, public instructions, and other digital channels. This includes translating event rules, deadlines, procedures, and logistical details into clear information for participants, parents, volunteers, and guests.

• Vendor Coordination
  I manage vendor-related communication and support vendor applications, contracts, logistics, documentation, expectations, and rule enforcement. This requires balancing program needs, vendor expectations, facility rules, and participant experience.

• Volunteer Coordination & Role Clarity
  I help define volunteer expectations, roles, scheduling needs, conduct guidelines, and communication practices. This includes supporting volunteers in ways that help the event run smoothly and reduce confusion during busy periods.

• Rules, Safety & Public Instructions
  I contribute to general rule book language, safety guidance, public instructions, conduct expectations, and event procedures. Some of this work has included helping revise rules in response to real event situations, including vendor, guest, participant, facility, and safety concerns.

• Budget, Fees & Sponsorship Discussions
  Through steering committee and advisory involvement, I review event finances, participate in discussions about fees, sponsorship opportunities, vendor opportunities, program advertising, and ways to help keep participant costs manageable.

• Stakeholder Coordination
  The role requires coordination with youth participants, parents, volunteers, vendors, Virginia Cooperative Extension representatives, facility staff, security teams, program leadership, and community supporters.

• Event Metrics & Economic Impact Awareness
  The State Horse Show averages hundreds of participants and a larger total attendance over a multi-day event. I have also been involved in developing ideas around event metrics and economic impact, including participant attendance, guest attendance, overnight stays, spending, tourism, and regional value.

• Transferable Strengths

• This experience translates well to roles involving event operations, program coordination, communications, public engagement, stakeholder support, volunteer management, vendor management, facility coordination, policy implementation, youth programming, nonprofit operations, tourism, recreation, and community development.

Elmont Ruritan Club / Community Facility Support

Through local civic involvement, I support community facility rentals, public communications, fundraising, outreach, and facility-use improvements.

I created rental contracts, fee schedules, add-on pricing, rental rules, risk language, cleanup expectations, renter instructions, and digital tracking processes. I also introduced card payment options, reviewed comparable venues, and used renter feedback to improve the rental process.

Key Experience

• Serve as a primary contact for community facility rentals.

• Manage rental inquiries, availability, walkthroughs, bookings, deposits, and follow-up.

• Created facility rental contracts, rules, fee schedules, and add-on pricing.

• Introduced card payment options.

• Track rentals through contracts and digital records.

• Use post-rental surveys to improve policies and renter experience.

• Create community communications, social posts, newsletters, and event promotions.

Boy Scouts of America

After achieving Eagle Scout rank, I returned to my local troop to serve as an assistant scout master to advise and suggest on troop activities and to instruct multiple merit badge classes. In partnership with Bass Pro Shops, I taught multiple merit badge classes at Bass Pro during Boy Scout Month, including Rifle Shooting, Fishing, Fish & Wildlife Management among others over the years.