JOHN GLEASON

 John Gleason started his career in state government with humble beginnings as an intern for Chairman John Forgety and the House Education Instruction & Programs Committee. Landing a job as a committee assistant for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Chairman Brian Kelsey, John moved from the House to the Senate. Eventually becoming the committee’s research analyst, he served as Chief of Staff for the chairman’s office. John returned to the House in 2019 to help Chairman Michael G. Curcio run the recently restructured House Judiciary Committee. 

During his time in the House, John helped draft, guide the committee through, and secure passage of several landmark reforms, including, but not limited to: reconstituting the Board of Judicial Conduct; establishing guidelines for community oversight boards; updating the state’s human trafficking laws; expanding access to expungement; increasing housing opportunities for the formerly incarcerated; authorizing the use of newly-discovered fingerprint evidence post-conviction; moderating law enforcement’s use of force; restructuring TN’s Electronic Monitoring Indigency Fund; imposing standards for electronic monitoring companies; and creating a criminal proceedings notification system. 

Outside of the House Judiciary Committee, he served as a research analyst for the Civil Justice, Criminal Justice, Children and Family Affairs, and Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittees and the Insurance Committee. Speaker Cameron Sexton then appointed him to serve as Director of the House Research Division, where John trained the next generation of research analysts. Once the division was in good hands, he decided to make the move to private practice. 

After nearly a decade of state government service as a public policy professional, John founded Craftwork Government Affairs to put his experience to work for clients across the country - crafting each one a unique public policy portfolio to accomplish their goals in the State of Tennessee. Three years later, he joined The Ingram Group for the opportunity to work with a talented team and serve a broader base of clients. 

John lives north of Nashville in White House, TN with his wife Rachel, their unborn son, and two dogs, River and Moose. They love spending time with family and friends across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky and traveling the country with an RV in tow.