Christi Branscom, Commissioner of TN General Services
Christi W. Branscom serves as the Commissioner of the Department of General Services (DGS) for the State of Tennessee. General Services is a support services agency, which provides operational assistance to other agencies in Tennessee State Government.
As commissioner, she oversees all divisions within DGS, including the Central Procurement Office, which is responsible for the procurement of all goods and contracting of all services purchased by the State; Document Solutions, which consists of the State’s printing, postal, graphic and web design, document scanning, photography, warehousing and distribution services; Real Estate Asset Management (STREAM), which manages and maintains all of the state buildings, as well as management of all capital projects with as much as $3.5B worth of State projects ongoing at any time; Vehicle and Asset Management (VAM), which includes the procurement, management, and disposal of motor vehicles and all equipment, including every motorized asset utilized by the state; and Division of Administration, which ensures operations of the department run efficiently and effectively.
Since joining DGS in January 2019, Branscom has made notable strides in managing DGS services more efficiently. Under her watch, VAM and Document Solutions were honored with industry-leading awards in their respective fields. In 2019, VAM was recognized with the National Conference of State Fleet Administrators’ Fleet Excellence Award and Document Solutions was the recipient of the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association’s National Print Center of the Year award. Most recently, Governor Lee proposed the largest capital budget in history, empowering STREAM to invest in new capital improvement projects to prioritize maintenance of existing state facilities, as well as to reduce and refigure the state’s real estate footprint. Additionally, several high-profile capital improvement projects have been completed during her tenure, including renovations to the historic John Sevier Building, the new Library and Archives Building, and the opening of several facilities at state parks across Tennessee.
Currently, Branscom is President of the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) Executive Committee and serves on a number of boards including Thistle Farms’ Board of Directors, the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, the Leadership Tennessee Board of Directors, the Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Board of Directors, and the Leaders Council for the Women Business Collaborative, Nashville Chapter.
Branscom is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, where she began her career in public service. Most recently, she served as Deputy to the Mayor/Chief Operating Officer for the City of Knoxville following a promotion from Senior Director of Public Works – making her the first female to be named to either position in Knoxville history. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she enjoyed a successful career as COO/General Counsel and Principal Managing Real Estate Broker at Partners Development for 25 years. Additionally, she established Grace Construction in 2003.
Branscom received her Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Tennessee and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis. Branscom is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Knoxville and a 2017 graduate of Leadership Tennessee.