The Sycamore Institute, an independent and nonpartisan public policy research center for Tennessee, announced today the appointment of Beth Harwell and Garnett Decosimo to its board. Harwell, of Nashville, is a former Speaker of the House in the Tennessee General Assembly and currently works as a college professor and consultant. Decosimo, who hails from Chattanooga and has held roles with Governor Bill Lee and former Senator Bob Corker, is a managing director at Decosimo Corporate Finance.
“Our board benefits from voices with both deep institutional knowledge and diverse professional backgrounds,” said President Brian Straessle. “Beth’s years of leadership in the statehouse give her unmatched insight into how policy is shaped and felt by Tennesseans. Garnett adds an important dimension with his blend of public service and private sector leadership. Together, their experiences will support Sycamore’s efforts to give decision makers and the public a stronger foundation for tackling the state’s toughest challenges.”
Beth Harwell is a distinguished civic leader, professor, consultant, and former Speaker of the House in the Tennessee General Assembly. Harwell served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1989 to 2019, representing District 56 in Nashville. In 2011, she became the first woman elected Speaker and held that position for four terms. In addition to her public service, Harwell has taught political science at Belmont University and currently serves as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University. Harwell is a former member of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors and has been active in numerous community organizations, including the Tennessee State Museum Foundation, Lipscomb University Advisory Council, National Foundation for Women Legislators, and Leadership Nashville. She has also served on boards for the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee, Nashville Children’s Theater, American Heart Association, and the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy.
Garnett Decosimo is a Managing Director at Decosimo Corporate Finance, where he guides privately held companies through sell-side and other complex financial transactions. He began his career as a CPA at KPMG. After several years in public accounting, Garnett followed his passion for public policy by working on the policy staff of Senators Bob Corker (TN) and Mike Enzi (WY). Garnett returned to Tennessee to work as a senior policy analyst in the office of Governor Bill Lee. Garnett finished his public policy work as the governor’s director of federal relations. In that role, he contributed to the state’s federal policy agenda and served as liaison for Lee’s roles as a member of the Council of Governors, co-chair of the National Governors Association Pandemic and Disaster Response Task Force, and policy chair of the Republican Governors Association.
The Sycamore Institute prioritizes regional representation from board members to highlight the many perspectives and people within Tennessee. Decosimo and Harwell join Sycamore’s board of statewide leaders, including Christi Branscom, Doug Overbey, and Karen Pershing from Knoxville, Kerry Hayes from Chattanooga, Dr. Jeff McCord from Kingsport, Judge Sheila Calloway and Leslie Hafner from Nashville, Matt Marshall from Jackson, and Veronica Jamison and Dan Springer from Memphis.
Full bios for every Sycamore staff and board member are available here.
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The Sycamore Institute is an independent, nonpartisan organization that helps Tennesseans identify, understand, and solve big challenges with impartial analysis of data and evidence. With leadership and staff from across the political spectrum, Sycamore provides accessible, reliable information in pursuit of sound, sustainable policies that improve the lives of all Tennesseans.
