|| Mark Cate ||

Mark Cate

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Mark Cate

( Tennessee,  )

Stones River Group

Introduction

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.

Achievements  Client List  Number of Years as a Lobbyist  Biography 
Achievements

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

Clients

1) Acadia Healthcare

2) ACT Education Corp.

3) Advantage Capital

4) Alliance Healthcare Services, Inc.

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

6) BlackRock Funds Services Group, LLC

7) Blount Partnership

8) BusPatrol America LLC

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

10) CFKAA Holdings, LLC

11) CG of Tennessee LLC

12) CHEEKWOOD BOTANICAL GARDEN AND MUSEUM OF ART

13) CMH Services Inc.

14) Cognia

15) Communities In Schools of Tennessee

16) Critical Nurse Staffing, LLC

17) Curriculum Associates, LLC

18) DELTA DENTAL OF TN

19) DGA Residential LLC

20) Empower Schools

21) Energy Systems Group, LLC

22) Ernst & Young LLP

23) Family First, Inc.

24) FFF Enterprises, Inc.

25) Geographic Solutions, Inc

26) Graduation Alliance, Inc

27) Greater Nashville Regional Council

28) INGRAM INDUSTRIES, INC.

29) Joe C Davis Foundation

30) Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee

31) Kleo, Inc. d/b/a ClassWallet

32) Knox County

33) Knoxville Zoological Gardens Inc.

34) Koch Government Affairs, LLC and Affiliates

35) L3Harris Technologies

36) Liminex, Inc dba GoGuardian

37) Livanova

38) Lorraine Civil Rights Foundation dba National Civil Rights Museum

39) Macquarie Capital

40) MARK43 INC

41) Maryville College

42) Maximus, Inc.

43) Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Inc

44) Memphis Shelby Crime Commission

45) Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

46) Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

47) Nashville Soccer Holdings, LLC

48) Opportunity Tennessee

49) PathGroup

50) PayIt, LLC

51) Salesforce, Inc.

52) SAS Institute Inc.

53) SH Advisors LLC

54) Southeastern University, Inc

55) Southern College of Optometry

56) STV Incorporated

57) Tech901

58) Tennessee Charter School Allies

59) Tennessee Charter School Center

60) The Adoption Project

61) The Coalition for Better Health

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

Number of Years as a Lobbyist

6-10 years

Biography

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.

Last Updated: January 25, 2025