As America marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Tennessee has an opportunity to reflect on its role in shaping our nation's civic story and what comes next. At ThinkTennessee's second annual Policy Forum on Sept. 9, we'll celebrate that history while looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities facing our state.
Before Tennessee became known for music or as the Volunteer State, it helped reshape American democracy. The era of Tennessee’s Andrew Jackson introduced the enduring – if long unrealized – idea that government should serve ordinary citizens, not just the wealthy.
Nearly a century later, Tennessee cast the deciding vote to ratify the 19th Amendment, securing
women’s right to vote – a victory that was far from guaranteed. In the decades that followed, Cordell Hull laid the foundation for the United Nations, Tennessee’s cities became training grounds for the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, and Howard Baker modeled principled, bipartisan leadership during Watergate.
Time and again, Tennessee has helped expand electoral participation, strengthen our democracy and shape our nation's civic story.
Tennessee faces a new era of growth and change
Today, Tennessee stands at another defining moment. As America begins its next 250 years, our state is preparing to elect its first new governor in eight years while experiencing unprecedented growth. Rising housing costs, growing demands on transportation and energy infrastructure, workforce shortages and rapid demographic change will shape Tennessee's future for decades to come.
Meeting this moment requires more than partisan talking points. It requires thoughtful civic dialogue, rigorous analysis and leaders willing to learn from one another. Those conversations don't happen by accident. They require institutions that intentionally bring together people with different perspectives before decisions are made. Last year's inaugural Policy Forum demonstrated the appetite for that kind of engagement, bringing nearly 400 Tennesseans together for a full day of serious, respectful policy conversations.
This year's Forum reflects the reality that Tennessee's biggest challenges are deeply connected. Housing affects access to education. Transportation determines access to jobs. Childcare influences workforce participation. Energy shapes our economic competitiveness. These challenges deserve solutions that reach beyond political labels and traditional silos.
The Policy Forum brings Tennessee's past and future together
The day will open with economist Marianne Wanamaker's look at the economic and demographic trends reshaping Tennessee, followed by a conversation among veteran and newly elected county mayors about leading through a period of historic transition. With more than 30 new county mayors taking office this year, it is a timely discussion about the future of local leadership.
The Policy Forum’s lunchtime plenary session will feature Tennessee State Museum Executive Director Ashley Howell, author Elaine Weiss (“The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote”) and National Civil Rights Museum President Russ Wigginton in conversation on where our state’s history has brought us and how we build on it. The event will close with former U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper and Zach Wamp, a Democrat and a Republican who spent eight years serving Tennessee together in Washington, in a conversation about finding common ground across the partisan divide.
The belief that government should answer to ordinary citizens, not simply political elites, has shaped Tennessee's civic story for generations. Good public policy isn't produced in isolation. It is strengthened when people with different experiences, expertise and perspectives come together to test ideas, challenge assumptions and find common ground.
At ThinkTennessee, we believe creating that civic space is one of our most important responsibilities.
Over the past 250 years, Tennessee has helped expand electoral participation, strengthen our democracy and shape our nation's civic story. As we begin the next chapter, we have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to continue that tradition. We hope you'll join us on Sept. 9.
Erin Hafkenschiel is the president of ThinkTennessee. She previously served as executive director for transportation at Vanderbilt University and director of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Sustainability for Nashville mayors Megan Barry and David Briley.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ThinkTennessee Policy Forum asks what's next for Tennessee | Opinion
