Meet Doug

PUBLIC SERVICE

On January 13, 2009, Doug Overbey was sworn in as State Senator for the Eighth District, representing Blount and Sevier Counties, after receiving over 81% of the vote in the November 2008 general election. As a member of the 106th Tennessee General Assembly, he has been appointed to serve on the Finance, Ways & Means Committee, Secretary of the Judiciary Committee, and a member of the Health & General Welfare Committee.

Sen. Overbey previously represented the 20th House district in the 102nd, 103rd, 104th, and 105th General Assemblies, where he served on the Finance, Ways & Means Committee, Health & Human Resources Committee, Calendar & Rules Committee, Select Committee on Ethics, and Joint Select Committee on Children and Youth. He was Chairman of the House Health Care Facilities Subcommittee for six years and a member of the Budget Subcommittee for four years. He also served as Secretary of the Special Joint Committee to Study the Development and Implementation of a Long-Term Care Services Plan and on the Tennessee Court Information System Steering Committee.

During his eight years in the House, Sen. Overbey was an ardent supporter of veterans and legislation that supports veterans, such as supporting veterans service officers in each county of the state, sponsoring and gaining passage of the law that has eliminated the 30-day time period for POW’s to qualify as a disabled veteran for property tax relief and the law that allows all service-related totally disabled veterans to qualify of property tax relief. In 2006, he sponsored and gained passage of a bill granting property tax relief to surviving spouses of members of the Armed Services killed in combat.

HONORS AND AWARDS

On Law Day, May 1, 2009, Sen. Overbey received the prestigious Law and Liberty Award from the Knoxville Bar Association for his contribution to the advancement and protection of law through liberty.

In 2008, Sen. Overbey was presented with the Legislative Victory Award by Tennessee Association of Mental Health Association in appreciation of his efforts to assist and improve services for citizens of the State who need specialized care as a result of mental illnesses or addictions.

On July 20, 2006, Sen. Overbey was recognized by the Tennessee Silica Justice Coalition for his sponsorship and passage of the Silica Claims Priority Act. Also in 2006, he received the Tennessee Legislator of the Year award from the American Physical Therapy Association.

Due to his leadership and work on legislation requiring smoke detectors and sprinkler systems in long term care facilities, the Tennessee Association of Retired Persons named Sen. Overbey as a “Legislative Champion” for 2004. Because of his unwavering support of sprinkler legislation and fire service personnel, he was presented the Tennessee Fire Service Coalition’s 2004 Life Safety Award.

Sen. Overbey received the Tennessee Hospital Association’s 2004 Community Service Award for Public Service for his support of healthcare issues impacting hospitals in Tennessee, including medical liability reform and essential access payments.

He has also been honored as the 2004 Outstanding State Representative by the County Officials Association of Tennessee. In 2003, he was recognized by the Tennessee Association of Utility District as Legislator of the Year.

BIOGRAPHY

Doug Overbey and wife, Kay, live at 1105 N. Heritage Drive, Maryville, TN 37803. They have three daughters: Kathleen and husband, Ryan Thomas, live in Brentwood; Elizabeth lives in Jacksonville, Florida; and, Hannah is a senior at East Tennessee State University. He graduated magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College in 1976 with a B.A. degree and first in his class from the University of Tennessee, College of Law, in 1979, where he was named to the Order of the Coif and the Phi Delta Phi, Roosevelt Inn, Graduate of the Year.

Sen. Overbey is in his thirtieth year of the practice of law and co-founded the firm of Robertson, Overbey, Wilson & Beeler in 1982. He is a member of the American, Tennessee, Knoxville and Blount County Bar Associations, has served as a member of the House of Delegates of the Tennessee Bar Association, and been a presenter at many continuing legal education seminars, including annual legislative updates for the Knoxville and Blount County Bar Associations.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

He has been active in the Blount County community, having served two terms on the Blount County Commission (82– 90), and as President of Maryville Kiwanis, President of the United Way of Blount County, Chairman of the Maryville-Alcoa College Community Orchestra, Chairman of the Johnson Girls Group Home, and board member of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce and Knoxville Museum of Art. He has also served on the Maryville College Board of Church Visitors and on the board of Success by Six. He is a graduate of the 2004 Class of Leadership Blount.

He currently serves on the Boards of New Hope – Blount County Children’s Advocacy Center, A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee, Presbyterian Homes of Tennessee, and SunTrust Bank of East Tennessee, and is an Advisory Member of the Board of Directors of the Great Smoky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America. He was recently named as a member of the Board of the East Tennessee Development District. He is a member of the Sevier County Ruritan Club and a member of the Class of 2009 of Leadership Sevier. Sen. Overbey also holds the rank of Captain in the Tennessee Civil Air Patrol.

He is an active member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and served ten years as Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. He is the only lay person to serve as President of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of East Tennessee.