Deborah A. Terrell

Specializing in farming and agriculture for more than 40 years, Deborah A. Terrell has excelled since 2017 as the founder and principal at Nature’s Circle—an award-winning, certified Bee Friendly Farm that develops innovative and high-quality agriculture products and unique farm goods, including art and pet treats. The farm aims to educate people on growing pollinator plants capable of surviving 100-degree temperatures and plants that provide wellness to people, pets, and pet stock. In this capacity, she manages the business and property, handles farm chores, and helps entrepreneurs develop their products—connecting with her clients through farmers’ markets and tours.

In addition to this primary endeavor, Ms. Terrell has served as a City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem in the city of Aurora in Texas since 2019. Her gravitation toward politics stemmed from an issue on the farm; the land had not been zoned for digging, yet sand pits were being dug behind the farm illegally. She presented her case to the city council but was told there wasn’t sufficient money to fight the case. This prompted her to question where the city funds go only to discover the ongoing corruption in the city. Upon getting elected, she also discovered there had not been a single city council meeting for two years. She became extremely active in her position on the council and has been fighting corruption since her election. Ms. Terrell considers her ability to singlehandedly put a stop to the corruption of a former city ambassador who had been taking more than $1 million a year, with the help of the Texas Rangers, to be her most notable professional achievement.

Upon earning a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics from West Virginia University in 1979, Ms. Terrell launched her career as a beef herdsman at the Moyer Cattle Farm in Pennsylvania and as a commodity grader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for three years. She subsequently found success between 1982 and 1990 as a production supervisor at Gold Kist, Inc., a parts manager at Campbell Soup Company, a sales production coordinator at Zacky Farms, and a sales distribution and transportation manager at Roxford Foods/PTS Transportation. She has also gained professional experience as an area manager at Walmart, a module leader at AmeriCold Logistics, LLC, a logistics coach-turned-area manager at JCPenney. She was previously a farmer, proprietor, and agricultural product developer and marketer at Luv A Luffa, Chatty’s Gourmet Cheese Dog Treats, and ChiDamaLuffa—which ultimately became incorporated into Nature’s Circle.  

In addition, Ms. Terrell has been an ambassador for Subaru since 2016 and a member of the Pollinator Partnership since 2018. She was previously a board member at Promise of Peace Community Gardens from 2019 to 2021 and regularly donates to Crime Watchers, food drives, and toy drives, and helps out senior citizens whenever she can. Looking toward the future, she strives to complete and publish two books she’s currently working on. She additionally wants to help her fellow citizens in Aurora heal and get back on its feet.