Jesse Chism


Jesse Chism 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 a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Morehouse College with a focus in Marketing /Economics. In 2012, he received a Master of Arts, Education 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

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