Jesse Chism (born March 4, 1980) is an American politician. He is a Democrat representing District 85 in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Early life and education Chism studied in Overton High School. In 2003, Chism received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Morehouse College with a focus in marketing and economics. In 2012, he received a MEd from Union University.
He is a former high school teacher with Memphis City Schools.
He previously worked as a Disaster Inspector for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Between 2013 and 2016, he was the Program Director for the Tennessee Mental Health Consumers Association.
He is currently a real estate investor. He is the president of Chism Consulting.
Political career
In 2018, former District 85 representative Johnnie Turner announced that she would not seek another term. Chism ran for his seat, won a four-way Democratic primary with 35.7% of the vote, and was unopposed in the general election. He successfully ran for re-election in 2020. He run for re-election in 2024.
As of April 2024, Chism serves on the following committees: Education Instruction Education Instruction of 1st Extraordinary Session Government Operations Committee Government Operations Committee of 1st Extraordinary Session State Government Committee State Government Committee of 1st Extraordinary Session Departments & Agencies Subcommittee Departments & Agencies Subcommittee of 1st Extraordinary Session Education Instruction Subcommittee Education Instruction Subcommittee of 1st Extraordinary Session Joint Judiciary and Government
Electoral record
Honors & Awards Chism has been recognized in the following areas. Fair Fight Fellowship, 2021 Center for Advancement of Leadership Skills Scholar, 2021 Chairman of Freshmen Democrats 2019-2020 Emerging Leaders, 2019
References