Members of the Tennessee Aquarium’s Board of Trustees have elected Keith Sanford as president and CEO. Mr. Sanford succeeds Charlie Arant who has served as the Aquarium’s president and CEO for more than 20 years. Mr. Sanford will become the Aquarium’s fourth president and CEO when he officially assumes his new role on
March 1st.
“We knew we had some big shoes to fill in finding a candidate to continue Charlie Arant’s great work,” said John Giblin, executive vice president and chief financial officer of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Mr.
Giblin served as chair of the Aquarium Board of Trustees’ search committee. “After a thorough search and review of more than 100 applications, we determined the best person to be the next CEO of one of our city’s most cherished institutions was someone who has devoted his entire career to improving the Chattanooga community. Keith’s record of achievement during his long tenure at First Tennessee speaks for itself. He will be an exemplary leader for the Tennessee Aquarium.”
Mr. Sanford is well known and respected throughout Chattanooga, both professionally and for volunteer service, lending his business expertise and leadership skills to many of the area’s top non-profit organizations, it was stated.
For the past 36 years Mr. Sanford has been employed at First Tennessee, rising in banking and finance from his start as a management trainee to serving for the past five years in the bank’s top position as Chattanooga’s Market president. He managed the institution’s assets and helped grow First Tennessee into the region’s largest bank with 25 branch locations and more than $2 billion in assets.