615-645-0233
511 Union Street, Suite 1100, Nashville, TN, 37219,
Subjects: Agencies/Regulations, Alcohol, Appropriations/Budgets, Business/Commerce, Children/Family/Women, City/County Government, Civil Rights, Consumer Protection, Corrections/Criminal Justice, Education, Energy/Utilities, Environment/Recycling, Finance/Banking, Food/Restaurants, Gaming, Health Care, Housing/Real Estate/Development/Construction, Immigration, Insurance, Manufacturing, Medicare/Medicaid, Non-Profit, Pharmaceuticals, Planning/Land Use/Zoning, Privacy/Internet, Professional/Vocational Licensing, Public Safety, Public Sector, Retail, RFP/Procurement, Science/Technology, Taxes, Telecommunications, Tourism/Hospitality, Transportation/Vehicles
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.
2) ACT, INC.
4) Alliance Healthcare Services, Inc.
6) Aunt Bertha, a Public Benefit Corporation d/b/a findhelp
7) BlackRock Funds Services Group, LLC
10) Campaign for Great Public Schools dba as City Fund Action
13) CHEEKWOOD BOTANICAL GARDEN AND MUSEUM OF ART
14) Client Network Services, LLC
16) Cognia
17) Communities In Schools of Tennessee
18) Critical Nurse Staffing, LLC
19) Curriculum Associates, LLC
22) Edmentum
23) Empower Schools
30) Greater Nashville Regional Council
36) Knox County
37) Knoxville Zoological Gardens Inc.
38) Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC and Affiliates
39) Koch Government Affairs, LLC and Affiliates
41) Liminex, Inc dba GoGuardian
42) Livanova
43) Lorraine Civil Rights Foundation dba National Civil Rights Museum
44) MARK43 INC
45) Maximus, Inc.
46) Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Inc
47) Memphis Shelby Crime Commission
48) Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
50) Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
51) Nashville Soccer Holdings, LLC
52) PathGroup
53) PayIt, LLC
54) Salesforce, Inc.
56) SH Advisors LLC
57) Skinny Labs Inc. (dba Spin)
58) Southern College of Optometry
59) STV Incorporated
60) Tech901
61) Tennessee Charter School Allies
63) The Coalition for Better Health
65) TN Development District Assn
66) Uptown Property Holdings LLC
67) WASTE MANAGEMENT
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.