Ahead of legislative session, House speaker's chief of staff to resign, enter private sector

Days before the start of the 2020 legislative session, Scott Gilmer, who serves House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s chief of staff, is stepping down to take a job in the private sector.

A legislative employee since 2007, Gilmer has served as chief of staff under three House speakers, including former Rep. Beth Harwell and Rep. Glen Casada, totaling seven years.

His resignation is effective Friday.

Prior to serving as Harwell’s chief of staff, Gilmer was an aide to state House Republicans, working as director of policy and research. During his time with the caucus, Gilmer made headlines in 2009 when he entered a no contest plea to a misdemeanor charge that he created a fake political website using the name of former state Rep. Nathan Vaughn.

More recently Gilmer is known for his stabilizing role in the speaker's office during a tumultuous period. Last year, when Casada initially tabbed Cade Cothren to serve as his chief of staff, Gilmer stayed in the speaker’s office, working as director of operations.

When Cothren resigned due to a scandal involving racist and sexist text messages, Gilmer became Casada’s chief of staff.

Gilmer's hiring was widely seen as an effort to stabilize the speaker’s office during a tumultuous period that saw Casada face scrutiny for his role in sexually explicit text messages with Cothren. Ultimately Casada resigned as speaker, making way for Sexton.

Although he's served under three speakers with significantly different leadership styles, Gilmer told The Tennessean Friday, it was the honor of his life to serve in public office for so long.

"Now is the right time because things are going well and stable," he said, praising lawmakers and legislative staff.  

As chief of staff, Gilmer largely remained behind the scenes around the legislature, often receiving little credit for his actions. He said he was especially proud of the legislature's accomplishments in education, workforce development and financial management.

In a statement, Sexton praised Gilmer for his work.

"We have been fortunate to have someone with such incredible institutional knowledge and experience to ensure the House operates effectively and efficiently each day," the speaker said. "We wish Scott and his family well and we thank him for his dedication and service to this office, and to our state."

A native of Lobelville, Tenn., Gilmer is set to join The Path Company, where he will serve as vice president for business development. The Mississippi-based company, which also has an office in Memphis, works with public entities on infrastructure issues, specifically related to optimizing efficiencies with energy, HVAC and water. 

Taking over for Gilmer on an interim basis will be Holt Whitt, who most recently served as the House speaker's director of legislation. Whitt has previous experience with the House Republican caucus and has worked for the General Assembly for more than eight years. 

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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.