Former Tennessee House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, the Chattanooga Republican who retired earlier this year after 14 years in the state legislature, has joined the consulting and lobbying company The Ingram Group in Nashville.
Company founder Tom Ingram, a former advisor to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and others, announced the hiring of McCormick Monday along with Garrett Johnson, outgoing deputy director of legislation for Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam,
McCormick, who is prohibited from lobbying the Legislature until he has been out of office of a full year, will provide general consulting services with an emphasis on expanding state government relations practices for the Nashville- and Washington-based boutique strategic consulting firm.
McCormick announced unexpectedly in June he would not seek re-election in the 26th House District after his wife, Dr. Kimberly McCormick, began working for the Tennessee Board of Regents last year in Nashville and McCormick joined the Nashville office of the Chattanooga-based Asa Engineering and Consulting firm in March. McCormick began working for Asa full time on Oct. 1 when he gave up his seat in the Tennessee Legislature.
On Monday, Ingram announced that McCormick was joining his 35-year-old firm to work in Nashville for clients on state and federal governmental issues.
"We're very fortunate to add Gerald to our team. No one knows Tennessee politics or the ever changing legislature like he does," Ingram said.
A U.S. Army veteran, McCormick was a member of the Tennessee General Assembly from 2004 until his retirement this year. In that capacity he served in a number of leadership positions, including his roles as House Majority Leader and as chairman of the Budget Subcommittee of House Finance, Ways and Means. During Haslam's two terms, Rep. McCormick carried much of Haslam's legislation in the House including Tennessee Promise, which made tuition and fees free for the first two years of college for any Tennessee resident.
The Ingram Group also is adding Garrett Johnson, who served three legislative sessions in then-House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick's office as his policy and research analyst before joinng the governor's staff. Johnson also served stints with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, as well as the Tennessee Attorney General's office.
"Reuniting Gerald and Garrett as a team puts The Ingram Group in the position of having one of the strongest teams on the Hill," Ingram said of the duo. "We will be well-situated to navigate the legislature's landscape and best serve our client base."
The Ingram Group focuses on strategic practice areas in general corporate strategy, government relations, communications strategy, crisis management and political consulting. The team is made up of prominent consultants including former journalists; former Congressional Chiefs of Staff; several former local, state and federal officials; and experienced business executives.
The Ingram Group recently merged with Poe Consulting, bringing political strategist and communications expert Alexia Poe in house, as well as added Dean Rice, the former chief of staff to Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, to the team in East Tennessee.