Doug Overbey

Board Secretary
Doug Overbey is a partner and co-founder of the Knoxville law firm Owings, Wilson & Coleman, where he focuses on white-collar defense, high-stakes litigation, healthcare, and state and local government law.

From 2017-2021, Overbey served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee—a position appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As chief federal law enforcement officer for his district, he was responsible for investigation and prosecution of all violations of federal law, civil defense of matters in which the U.S. was a defendant, and affirmative civil enforcement actions brought in the name of the U.S. government. In addition, he served as co-chairman of the Tennessee Dangerous Drug Task Force and Chairman of the Executive Board for the Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

When appointed U.S. Attorney, Overbey was in his third term as a Tennessee state senator. He previously served eight years in the state House of Representatives and two terms on the Blount County Commission. While a member of the General Assembly, he served on the Finance and Health Committees of both chambers, as Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, and as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees.

Overbey currently serves on the national board of directors of Human Rights for Kids, a bipartisan non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights for children. Among his honors and awards, he received the 2011 Bud Cramer Award from the National Children’s Alliance, the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Carson-Newman University, the 2017 Presidential Award from the Tennessee Judicial Conference, and the Knoxville Bar Association’s “Law & Liberty” Award in 2009. Overbey has been a frequent presenter for continuing legal education programs for the Knoxville and Tennessee Bar Associations.

Overbey graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Carson-Newman College.

Overbey resides in Maryville with his wife, Kay. They have three married daughters and six grandchildren and are parishioners of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Maryville. He currently serves on the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee and has twice been published in the Anglican Digest.
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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.