Elected to represent the people of District 55 in the Tennessee House of Representatives in the 109th, 110th, and 111th Sessions of the Tennessee General Assembly. District 55 is located entirely within Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County, TN. http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h55.html or www.johnrayfortennessee.com

Co-founding member of the boutique civil litigation and general practice firm conveniently located in downtown Nashville. Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator and civil litigator licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee, representing businesses and individuals, as plaintiffs and defendants, in state and federal courts across the state. Admitted to practice in the United States'​ Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts for Middle and West Tennessee. Member of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations and a pro bono attorney for the Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts. Named a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers for business litigation.Learn more at www.clemlawfirm.com.

Ex officio member and former president of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc. ("BHN"), a non-profit organization comprised of members of the historic Belmont-Hillsboro Neighborhood. Founded in 1971, BHN is the longest continually operating neighborhood organization in Nashville and continues to work to preserve neighborhood residents' quality of life by focusing on issues such as public safety, zoning and codes enforcement, education, and beautification. BHN's philanthropic efforts annually benefit the entire Nashville community.The urban neighborhood served by BHN is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is home to Belmont University and sits in close proximity to Vanderbilt and Lipscomb University. It is bordered by Hillsboro Village and 21st Avenue South, 12th Avenue South, and I-440, with Green Hills nearby. During tenure as President, a renewed emphasis was placed on open and timely communication with residents, efforts to address traffic and public safety issues, working in tandem with our Metro councilperson to address issues facing the neighborhood and city, and improving working relations among and partnering with other local neighborhood organizations to accomplish common goals.

Elected to the inaugural Board of Directors for Friends of Sevier Park, Inc. ("FOSP"). Founded by a group of local leaders from the Belmont-Hillsboro and 12South neighborhoods, FOSP was formed in 2013 to benefit Sevier Park, a public park operated by the Metro Parks Department. FOSP's efforts will complement the work of Metro Parks by providing input and supplemental funding to infrastructure and maintenance projects identified in the park's master plan.

The Columbia Alumni Association of Nashville is a regional club of the international Columbia Alumni Association. The Nashville association serves to connect alumni in the greater Nashville area with each other and with the University in New York City, engaging alumni of all of Columbia University's 14 schools. The local group regularly hosts social, networking, academic, and other events.

Served as Chairman of Nashville RBI, Inc.'s Board of Directors from 2011-2014 and as Chairman of the Nashville RBI Advisory Board upon Nashville RBI's partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle TN from 2014-2016. BGCMT's Nashville RBI program is an inner-city youth outreach program designed to: increase participation and interest among inner-city youth in baseball; encourage academic participation and facilitate classroom achievement; promote healthy lifestyles and wellness; and, develop positive character traits, including self-esteem and self-discipline. Since 2011, Nashville RBI has accomplished the following: reinstituted a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Middle TN; maintained a consistent annual budget through challenging economic times; formed and fulfilled a two-year strategic partnership with the YMCA of Middle TN; saved the baseball season of a local community; and, re-organized the non-profit organization from the ground up. Learn more at www.nashvillerbi.com.

Appointed by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean to serve on this five member Metro commission established under the Metro Charter and Tennessee Code. The commission is charged with oversight of the Tennessee State Fairgrounds and Expo Center which is used for multiple events, including the annual Tennessee State Fair, numerous expo events, monthly flea markets, and auto racing. Increasing revenue while preserving and maintaining the historic character and uses of the property were priorities in this capacity. During tenure, the Board successfully negotiated multiple, new contracts with auto racing and State Fair organizers and achieved increasing stability for the historic property.

Represented corporate and individual clients, as plaintiffs and defendants, in federal and state courts primarily in banking, contracts, and business related matters as a civil litigator and business attorney.

Appointed by former Governor Phil Bredesen to serve a three-year term on this independent commission which served as an appeals body for state employees through the state´s civil service five-step grievance process. The Commission reviewed employee appeals and made decisions based on evidence presented at hearings and examinations of employees´ work records. The Commissioner of Human Resources served as secretary to the Commission. In April 2012, Gov. Bill Haslam signed the TEAM Act into law, reducing the appeals process to three steps and replacing the Civil Service Commission with a smaller Board of Appeals.

Represented individual and business clients, primarily plaintiffs, as a civil litigator before the state and federal courts of Tennessee, as well as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Litigated legal issues including civil rights, Title IX, First Amendment rights, contracts, employment law, medical malpractice, and personal injury.

Appointed by former Governor Phil Bredesen to serve as the "consumer member" on this licensing board that operates within the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.

As the Political Director for the state party during former Governor Phil Bredesen's first term, I played an instrumental role in the following tasks:•Development and direction of the state party’s platform, message and outreach programs.•Recruitment and consultation of candidates for state legislative campaigns.•Drafting and organization of the state party’s statewide coordinated campaign plan.•Organization and supervision of the statewide delegate selection process for 2004 Democratic National Convention.•Coordination of communications between county party organizations and state party headquarters.•Devising and implementation of strategies for statewide communication of the state party platform.

This multi-faceted role included negotiating and organizing five televised candidate debates, performing in-depth and detailed legislative and opposition research, and drafting issue briefs, strategic policy papers, and speeches.

As a legistive aide, duties included researching, developing and monitoring legislative issues, such as copyrights, judiciary, campaign finance reform, labor, taxes, environment, agriculture, banking, government reform, and small businesses. Duties also included assisting with the development of policy positions and strategies to promote the congressman's legislative and political agenda, as well as establishing and implementing strategies for communicating policy positions to constituents.