Unmatched Political Intelligence
Unique, Proven Strategies
Meet the Parthenon Team
Josh
President & Founder
Josh Thomas is a seasoned political strategist with more than 20 years of experience, running a multitude of campaigns, and founding Parthenon Strategies in 2017. He has served as the State House Director in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky, where he built the majorities and supermajorities across the Southeast that they enjoy today. He served as a consultant for Governors Bill Lee and Matt Bevin, U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, and WWE’s KANE/Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
Hobbies: Smoking Meat (especially burnt ends)
What’s on your playlist? A lot of Springsteen. Ed Sheeran, Brian Fallon. I love singer-songwriters. Lyrics that mean something.
Random Fact About You: My wife and I decided to visit all the continents before we started our family. We wrapped it up with a trip to Antarctica in 2019.
Who are you rooting for (sports teams)? Go Vols!
You can have dinner or a drink with anyone that’s ever lived. Who is it? Isaac Newton. While Newtonian Gravity has largely been replaced with Einstein’s view, he was brilliant. This is a guy who just invented differential calculus on a bet.
Kara
Vice President of Strategic Communications
Formerly the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Tennessee House Speaker, Kara Owen has more than 15 years of communications and political experience. She previously worked as Press Secretary of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus and has managed or advised numerous political and communications campaigns across the state.
Favorite Food: Tacos
Guilty Pleasure: Binge watching Below Deck
The app you can’t live without: Spotify
Hobbies: Traveling, reading, doing something active with my family and dog, Henry
Who are you rooting for (sports teams)?
Braves, UK (go CATS), Preds
Sessions
Vice President of Operations
Sessions Cox started his career in finance, where he was an experienced trust and estate advisor who managed high net-worth clients. Early on, he led teams in high-volume, fast-paced settings. After making the jump to political and public affairs, Sessions has been the point person on a number of campaigns, as well as coordinating efforts across the state for organizations from Fortune 100 companies to political candidates running for office.
The app you can’t live without: Twitter
What’s on your playlist? Beach house, Colter Wall, and every Motown song
Favorite Drink: Laphroaig with a big rock
You can have dinner or a drink with anyone that’s ever lived. Who is it? Ghengis Khan
Recommend a book? The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Best thing I’ve ever read.