Garnett Decosimo

Board Member

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 in the Atlanta office of KPMG, providing audit services to commercial clients, including Fortune 100 manufacturing and retail firms. 

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). During his time in the Senate, Garnett worked on the reauthorization of federal career and technical education programs and as a professional staff member for the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security. 

Garnett returned to Tennessee to work as a Sr. Policy Analyst in the Office of Governor Bill Lee. As the lead healthcare policy staffer in the Governor’s Office, he organized a statewide healthcare listening tour and designed and executed the Tennessee Rural Hospital Readiness Program, which provided emergency liquidity to small rural hospitals during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Garnett finished his public policy work as the Director of Federal Relations in the Office of the Governor. In that role, he was responsible for developing and executing the state’s federal policy agenda and acting as the primary staff member for the governor’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. 

Civic and Community Activities 

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Board of Advisors, Member 
  • Boy Scouts of America Cherokee Area Council, Board Member 
  • Richmont Graduate University, Board Member 
  • Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, Board Member 
  • American Enterprise Institute Enterprise Club, Member 
  • National Federation of Independent Business of Tennessee, PAC Board and Leadership Committee Member 
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.