Meet Our Staff
Val Privett
Val founded Beacon Insurance Advisers after operating as Privett Insurance Group for 20 years. She was stunned at the tax consequences of selling Privett Insurance Group, and for the past five years has focused on educating clients to effectively use the tax code to their advantage. Val believes every person deserves the opportunity to know how real wealth works. With a Master‘s in Education, Val believes a client’s knowledge of their financial situation is a priority, and she knows that where your money is matters more than how much money you have. With her property and casualty background, she can make certain your assets are properly protected as well.
After coaching women’s collegiate basketball for 13 years, Val started Privett Insurance Group with a focus on coverage education for clients. She successfully ran Privett Insurance Group and won numerous awards from the companies she represented.
Staying current is vital in any business especially in the insurance industry. Val holds multiple designations assuring her clients get the most up-to-date financial advice, information, and protection. She is a Certified Insurance Counselor, a Certified Personal Risk Manager, and a Life Underwriting Training Council Fellow.
Val believes in being an active leader in her community. She is a Board member for Carecuts of Knoxville, Wesley House, and Childhelp. She also serves in a leadership position with the Farragut Rotary.
Sheila Griffis
Sheila has been a part of Val Privett’s team since 2010. She serves as Beacon Insurance Advisers Administrative Assistant and Compliance Officer. She is responsible for all of our agent and agency licensing and credentials.
Prior to joining Val’s team, Sheila devoted her time to nurturing her family and homeschooling her children. She and her husband, Gary, have 6 children and 5 grandchildren.
She is heavily involved with her church where she serves in the music ministry as well as the ladies‘ ministry. Sheila’s hobbies are cheering her children on in whatever they are participating in. No matter the team-football, volleyball, band, FFA, Hi-Q, FBLA, or chorus, Sheila is the proudest and loudest Mom in the stands!
Jolene Pennington
Jolene is our Senior Account Manager. Licensed in property and casualty she adds a wealth of expertise to the Beacon team. After managing an agency for over 20 years, Jolene brought her multitasking skills to Beacon. With her background it’s no wonder that she is a relentless problem solver. Tracking documentation and paying close attention to policy changes, Jolene is a master at organizing client accounts.
She believes the personal touch is what makes the difference in an agent-client relationship. She takes pride in knowing each of our companies’ portfolios and can match your needs to just the right offering from one of our companies. She helps our clients understand their coverages and specializes in account bundling.
Outside of work Jolene has three great loves—her grandchildren, her plants (all of which have names) and the beach. In her spare time her favorite activity is playing all day with her grandchildren. She also finds time to tend her family of plants including Figgy Marley and Fiona. Jolene loves to travel and has never met a beach she didn’t love. Her lifelong quest is chasing the sun and finding rainbows.
Art Tawater
As our Office Coordinator, Art is our first line of support at Beacon. He loves helping others and is instrumental in building and maintaining relationships with our clients. He provides daily hands-on service to our clients as well as coordinates with the rest of the Beacon team to deliver the best solutions to meet our client needs.
Art joined Beacon in 2021 after stints in the food service and hospitality industry. He is licensed in Property and Casualty. As a new agent he regularly engages in educational opportunities to grow his knowledge and stay up to date with industry changes.
In his spare time Art likes to show his creative side. He enjoys entertaining, movie screenings, and painting ceramics.
Mary Lou Teague
Mary Lou joins Beacon Insurance Advisors as our Transportation Director. She may be new to Beacon, but she is no newbie when it comes to insurance. She is licensed in Property, Casualty, Life, and Health, but Transportation Insurance is her specialty. Over the past 30 years Mary Lou has honed her skills and knowledge in transportation and trucking insurance to the expert level. Whether you’re a single owner-operator or you have a fleet, she can match the right coverage to your needs.
Her motto, “I’m behind you all the way” shows Mary Lou’s level of commitment to our trucking clients. Whether it is a transportation filing, a DOT audit, or just making sure you are properly protected she is there for clients 24/7.
Mary Lou holds an Associate of Arts from Hiawasse College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee. She serves on the Board of Directors for James White Fort.
Mary Lou is a proud mother of two daughters, three grand children, and a couple of Schnauzers. In her spare time Mary Lou enjoys designing jewelry.
Renee Smith
Renee is our Director of Technology. She comes to Beacon Insurance Advisers with 35+ years of experience as a television and digital media producer. She has a strong background in information technology, social media, and communication strategy. All of that is a fancy way of saying that she believes we are all connected and by sharing information we move forward together.
Renee makes sure our clients have the most up-to-date news about our services and events. She also oversees our computer and information systems with a focus on engaging technology rather than merely using applications or programs.
Renee holds a Master’s degree in Organizational and Intercultural Communication and a PhD in Communication and Information. She serves as a Vice-Chair on the Institutional Research Board (IRB) at the University of Tennessee and is a member of the Altar Guild at St. James Episcopal Church, Knoxville.
