Beth Harwell

Board Member

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. During her legislative career, Harwell championed policies on education, economic growth, criminal justice reform, and the state’s response to the opioid crisis. She also chaired the House Commerce Committee and served as Minority Whip. 

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. 

Harwell earned her B.A. from David Lipscomb University, her M.S. from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, and her Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt.  

OUR TEAM
MORE ABOUT SYCAMORE
Why Our Work Matters

We all want thriving communities where people enjoy good health, social and financial well-being, and the chance to make meaningful contributions to society. Most of our disagreements are about how to get there.

Sycamore plays a unique role in Tennessee’s civic life—bridging those divides by equipping decision-makers, journalists, citizens, and public and private sector leaders across the state with impartial, data-driven resources to identify, understand, and solve big challenges. We empower people to more effectively weigh—and weigh in on—the policy and institutional questions that shape our daily lives.

Tennesseans with wide-ranging perspectives rely on Sycamore’s clear and actionable insights and analyses.  Over the years, our work has informed public and private sector decisions on state and local education funding, TennCare, medical debt, philanthropy, transportation, criminal justice, the state budget, and more.

Many nonprofit organizations also rely on Sycamore for trusted, objective information about issues that affect their work—including both policy analyses and technical assistance on strategic and program planning.

No matter how you use Sycamore’s work, we are proud to help Tennesseans make informed decisions and navigate complex challenges.

What Is Public Policy?

Public policy is what governments choose to do (or not do) about public problems. It includes laws, regulations, funding priorities, and any actions of our governing institutions and the people who run them. Public policy affects almost every aspect of our lives—where we live, where we learn, where we work, and where we wander.

How We Engage

By fostering open dialogue and providing unbiased, data-driven insights, we empower Tennesseans to participate in the policy-making process and advocate for their communities. We do this by:

1. Producing and communicating relevant, accessible, impartial, and data-driven research and analysis.

2. Engaging and building strong relationships with decision-makers and stakeholders from across Tennessee.

3. Convening and equipping Tennesseans to thoughtfully assess and address public challenges.

To get involved with Sycamore’s work, subscribe to our emails, follow us on social media, attend our events, and join the ranks of our donors!

Our Origin

The Sycamore Institute grew out of the bold vision of a diverse group of community leaders from across Tennessee who saw the need for an independent, nonpartisan public policy research center focused on our state.

With the leadership and support of The Healing Trust, approximately 80 of these leaders representing a broad range of professions, political views, and personal experiences engaged in a 3-day collaborative design process. Their goal: design an organization to inform and support the creation of sound, sustainable public policy for Tennessee through reliable, accessible, and data-driven research and analysis.

The name they chose reflects the strengths of Tennessee’s native sycamore: a unique, long-lived tree with strong roots that stands tall and spreads seed far and wide.

The Sycamore Institute launched in 2015 and quickly built a reputation as a reliable source of unbiased information about issues that affect and connect Tennesseans’ health, prosperity, and public policy.