FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Brad Parish Forms Exploratory Committee for Tennessee’s Third Congressional
District to Replace Zack Wamp

January 10, 2010

Oak Ridge, TN – Today, Brad Parish announces that he is forming an
exploratory committee to look at running for the U.S. House of
Representatives from the 3rd District in the November 2010 election. Parish
will run as the “energy-economy candidate” for a stronger nation,
innovative companies and well-paying jobs for the 3rd congressional
district. 

Parish stated, “Energy is power: it has brought the necessities of life to
Tennessee, it has brought world changing technology to our door step, it
has caused wars, and it has brought businesses here. Energy is the power
that will drive the future. I don’t see a candidate running that has the
qualifications that I have to move us into the energy future. That is why I
am considering this historic run: for our jobs, for our families and for
our national security.” 

If he makes the final decision to run, Parish will seek the Democratic
nomination to replace Congressman Zack Wamp, who is retiring to run for
Tennessee Governor this year.

Parish, born in Oak Ridge, believes his central location is an advantage
that will allow him to easily reach all parts of the 3rd District and best
represent the interests of the entire district. Parish brings to this
competitive race a clear strategic understanding of the District in
addition to an impressive background. Parish believes that his past
experience will prove valuable in recovering from the current economic
situation. Parish understands that since the need for energy will continue
to drive the economy, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is uniquely positioned
to lead the State and the Country into the energy future. As Congressman,
Parish plans to bring even more innovative companies and jobs to the
District.

Brad Parish is ready to be the champion for our region, our businesses and
workforce, and our families regarding the core issues facing the 3rd
District:

•Economic Development and Job Creation 
Parish has a long history of working to create a strong regional economy.
Parish is a two-term Governor-appointed member of the State’s Workforce
Development Board, where he serves as the Vice Chair of Strategic Planning.
Parish has worked to reform poorly performing areas while ensuring that the
State’s efforts clearly focus on key growth industries for the future and
while supporting private businesses through retraining grant funding.
Parish was formerly one of the key personnel for the Community Reuse
Organization of East Tennessee. This organization worked to create regional
jobs through reindustrialization strategies such as spurring growth of
private automotive, transportation, environmental and technology companies.


•Education
Parish has been a leader in pushing for technical education and career
planning. Parish has worked with a coalition of companies and unions such
as TVA, Alstom Power, and Y-12 in aligning educational opportunities with
career paths in the energy, industry, and construction sectors across the
State. He has also served as Co-Chair of the P-16 Education Council
developing communication strategies to keep kids in school from preschool
through the completion of the college degree. One of the educational
projects that Parish initiated was recently listed by UT and the Southern
Growth Policy Board as one of the State’s best youth initiatives. Over
twenty years ago, Parish founded a long-lasting Pre-Engineering Program
that partly paved the way for technology education in the Tennessee Valley.
In addition, Parish worked as an Education Program Manager with the Oak
Ridge Associated Universities supporting educational initiatives such as
the Tennessee Science Bowl. Parish has served on committees for local
colleges, youth councils, and youth leadership committees.

•Health Care
Parish has helped change health legislation. In 2003, Parish was elected as
a Board Member for the Rural Health Association of Tennessee, the largest
rural health association in the country at that time. As a member of the
Government Relations Committee, Parish worked on strategies to bring health
care to rural areas of Tennessee through recruiting doctor and nurses, and
by improving technology. In 2009, Parish was appointed by the Tennessee
Commissioner of Health and Human Services to the Tennessee Technology
Access Program Statewide Advisory Committee. This committee works with
disabled people and their families to provide them with the tools that they
need to live independent, productive lives where and how they choose.  As
the East Tennessee Organizer for the Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible
Tennessee, Parish was instrumental in the successful anti-tobacco fight—the
fight that led to subsequent legislative changes like smoke-free
restaurants—through a coalition of the American Cancer Society, American
Heart Association, American Lung Association, and the March of Dimes. In
2004, Parish served on the Tennessee Taskforce that established the Health
Science educational standards for statewide high school curriculum.

•Science and Technology
Parish has lived science and technology. He started his career in a
research laboratory for environmental sciences and recently served as a
Program Manager for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory recruiting PhD
scientists from across the world and managing career development programs
for the Spallation Neutron Source. In 2009, Brad was appointed to the
State’s Energy Sector Partnership Committee working with Chattanooga State
Community College, Heat & Frost Insulators, TVA, Hemlock Semiconductor,
Nissan, and other energy-related companies. For several years, Parish has
been selected as an evaluator for the Federal Laboratory Consortium of
Technology Transfer in which he judges technology from NASA, national
laboratories, and other government agencies.

Parish has the business experience to be an outstanding legislator, as
demonstrated by the fact that he grew the revenue of a Fortune 500
company’s region to 
8M/year in less than three years. Recently one of the
top candidates for the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency’s Executive
Director, Parish is currently the Vice President of CPS, Inc., a nationwide
government services firm that has supported over 150 government agencies in
44 States and 6 foreign countries.  

Parish believes in responsible government and fair taxes. Parish has even
taken this fight of responsible government to City Hall on behalf of the
people. In 2005, he tried to hold the City of Kingston’s taxes down when
city leaders proposed a massive 25% tax increase, due to unbridled spending
and lack of control.  Even though entrenched politicians won that fight,
Parish’s resolve was tested making him stronger for any and all legislative
fights on the Hill or campaign fights to represent the people of the 3rd
District. With the strength to fight, Parish intends to bring that same
fiscal conservative approach to Congress.

Although he is seeking his first publically elected office, Parish has
aggressively worked in grassroots politics for the past two decades. In
addition to the many statewide committees on which he has served, Parish’s
political experience includes a term as a County Democratic Party Chair.
For several years, Brad Parish was the co-host of a local TV political talk
show that gave him the opportunity to listen to and talk with the
constituents. Over a decade ago, Parish was given a statewide award by the
Tennessee Democratic Party and continues to be very active for the Party.

Brad Parish, age 40, lives with his wife Esther, a researcher at the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, and their two children Levi age 6 and Avery age
4. They are members of Morrison Hill Christian Church.