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MARK CATE

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MARK CATE

(Tennessee, )

Stones River Group

mark.cate@stonesrivergroup.com
615-645-0233
511 Union Street, Suite 1100, Nashville, TN, 37219,

Mark Cate is the Founder and President of Stones River Group, a Nashville-based public affairs firm serving both Tennessee, regional and national clients. He formerly served as Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam's chief of staff, where he was his top advisor, strategist and negotiator.

1) Acadia Healthcare

2) ACT Education Corp.

3) Advantage Capital

4) Aunt Bertha, a Public Benefit Corporation d/b/a findhelp

5) BlackRock Funds Services Group, LLC

6) Blount Partnership

7) Campaign for Great Public Schools dba as City Fund Action

8) Capitol Towers Ltd.

9) CFKAA Holdings, LLC

10) CG of Tennessee LLC

11) CHEEKWOOD BOTANICAL GARDEN AND MUSEUM OF ART

12) CMH Services Inc.

13) Cognia

14) Communities In Schools of Tennessee

15) CooperSurgical

16) Critical Nurse Staffing, LLC

17) Curriculum Associates, LLC

18) DELTA DENTAL OF TN

19) DGA Residential LLC

20) Emerald Youth Foundation

21) Energy Systems Group, LLC

22) Ernst & Young LLP

23) Esper Regulatory Technologies Inc.

24) FACT

25) Family First, Inc.

26) Fertility Providers Alliance

27) Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

28) Graduation Alliance, Inc

29) Greater Nashville Regional Council

30) INGRAM INDUSTRIES, INC.

31) Jackson Madison County School System

32) Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee

33) Kleo, Inc. d/b/a ClassWallet

34) Knox County

35) Knoxville Zoological Gardens Inc.

36) Koch Government Affairs, LLC and Affiliates

37) L3Harris Technologies

38) Lorraine Civil Rights Foundation dba National Civil Rights Museum

39) Maryville College

40) Maximus, Inc.

41) Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Inc

42) Memphis Shelby Crime Commission

43) Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

44) Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

45) Nashville Soccer Holdings, LLC

46) Opportunity Tennessee

47) PathGroup

48) PayIt, LLC

49) Possip, Inc.

50) PowerSchool Group LLC

51) Salesforce, Inc.

52) SAS Institute Inc.

53) SH Advisors LLC

54) SME Education Foundation

55) Southeastern University, Inc

56) Southern College of Optometry

57) STV Incorporated

58) SWVP NYards Services Company LLC

59) Tech901

60) Tennessee Charter School Center

61) The Adoption Project

62) The United Company

63) TN Development District Assn

64) Uptown Property Holdings LLC

65) WASTE MANAGEMENT

66) Wolf River Harbor Holdings, LLC

67) YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South

6-10 years

I have been recognized by the Nashville Post list of In-Charge: Government & Politics for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022

Our firm was recognized nationally by the Public Relations Society of America for our comprehensive public affairs campaign to bring Major League Soccer to Nashville

Mark Cate is the Founder and President of Stones River Group, a Nashville-based public affairs firm serving both Tennessee, regional and national clients. He formerly served as Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam's chief of staff, where he was his top advisor, strategist and negotiator.

During his tenure with the Haslam Administration, Mark led several legislative policy initiatives, including K-12 education reform, workers' compensation reform, civil service reform, an alternative approach to Medicaid expansion, and postsecondary education reform, including the nationally-acclaimed Tennessee Promise program.

Prior to serving in state government, Mark successfully managed Governor Haslam's first gubernatorial campaign in 2010, which led to a record-setting general election victory. He previously worked as an executive in real estate management and development and served for 16 years as a higher education leader. Over the course of his career, Mark has served as a chief development officer, chief planning officer, chief marketing officer, and as a chief financial officer�working on budgets ranging from $10 million to $30 billion.

Mark grew up in Maryville, TN and currently lives in Brentwood with his wife Cathy who serves as the Executive Director of Leadership Tennessee. He and Cathy have two daughters, Bailey who is a recent graduate at Rhodes College and currently serves as a fellow at the Crop Trust in Bonn, Germany; and Abbie who is rising junior at George Washington University.

Cate received a B.S from Carson-Newman College, an M.S from the University of Tennessee, and Harvard University's Institute for Educational Management certificate program. He's served on a wide variety of non-profit boards and was an elected member of the Maryville Board of Education.

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STEPHEN SUSANO

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STEPHEN SUSANO

(Tennessee, )

Stones River Group

stephen.susano@stonesrivergroup.com
615-645-0233
511 Union Street, Suite 1100, Nashville, TN, 37219,

Stephen Susano is the Co-Founder and COO of Stones River Group, a Nashville-based public affairs firm serving both Tennessee, regional and national clients. He provides clients with strategic counsel on business opportunities and project management, regulatory matters, procurement, economic development, third-party engagement, and market positioning. Stephen leverages his lengthy private-sector experience and deep network of relationships with business leaders and key policymakers in state and local government across Tennessee to deliver solutions for clients in multiple industries.

1) Advantage Capital

2) Alliance Healthcare Services, Inc.

3) BlackRock Funds Services Group, LLC

4) BusPatrol America LLC

5) Campaign for Great Public Schools dba as City Fund Action

6) Capitol Towers Ltd.

7) Care Advantage, Inc.

8) CFKAA Holdings, LLC

9) CHEEKWOOD BOTANICAL GARDEN AND MUSEUM OF ART

10) CMH Services Inc.

11) Communities In Schools of Tennessee

12) Critical Nurse Staffing, LLC

13) DELTA DENTAL OF TN

14) DGA Residential LLC

15) Emerald Youth Foundation

16) Energy Systems Group, LLC

17) Ernst & Young LLP

18) Esper Regulatory Technologies Inc.

19) Family First, Inc.

20) Geographic Solutions, Inc

21) Graduation Alliance, Inc

22) Guardian Fleet Services, Inc.

23) INGRAM INDUSTRIES, INC.

24) Kalkomey Enterprises LLC

25) Kleo, Inc. d/b/a ClassWallet

26) Knox County

27) Knoxville Zoological Gardens Inc.

28) Koch Government Affairs, LLC and Affiliates

6-10 years

Stephen Susano is the Co-Founder and COO of Stones River Group, a Nashville-based public affairs firm serving both Tennessee, regional and national clients. He provides clients with strategic counsel on business opportunities and project management, regulatory matters, procurement, economic development, third-party engagement, and market positioning. Stephen leverages his lengthy private-sector experience and deep network of relationships with business leaders and key policymakers in state and local government across Tennessee to deliver solutions for clients in multiple industries.

Prior to Stones River Group, Stephen served as Executive Director of the Tennessee Business Partnership (TBP), an advocacy organization supported by many of the state's leading enterprises. He spearheaded its efforts to advance pro-business policies, including education and judicial reforms, to encourage job growth and economic development. In 2014, Stephen led the statewide "Vote Yes on 2" campaign in support of the Judicial Selection Amendment to the Tennessee constitution. Stephen built a broad coalition of business groups, trade associations, legal advocates and community leaders in favor of the amendment. This coalition's successful mobilization helped ensure the amendment was approved with overwhelming support, carrying 94 out of 95 counties in Tennessee

Prior to working in the public affairs space, Stephen had an extensive career in the financial services industry. He served in operating and business development roles for several investment advisers and asset management firms. He has consulted with and raised capital for both U.S. and foreign-based investment firms, and has negotiated distribution and trading agreements with multiple financial services companies. Through his work, Stephen navigated complex regulatory regimes in domestic and offshore jurisdictions

Stephen grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee and currently lives in Brentwood with his wife, Ana. He and Ana have four children. Stephen serves on the board of the Nashville Downtown Partnership.