New leadership for Finley Stadium could be announced today when Stadium Corp. board members meet at the 20,668-seat facility.
Board chairman Gordon Davenport said in late May that a meeting could be scheduled this month to recommend a full-time successor to Paul Smith as the stadium's executive director. Smith resigned Feb. 28 after overseeing operations at Finley for more than three years.
Chris Thomas, the executive director of the Chattanooga Market at the First Tennessee Pavilion, and his Public Markets Inc. staff have been running the 20-year-old stadium on an interim basis since early April. One possibility would be for the Stadium Corp. board to remove the interim tag from Thomas and his staff.
Thomas, who purchased the Chattanooga Market in 2007, declined comment last month when asked if he wanted to operate Finley on a permanent basis. He has been praised for the job he has done assisting Finley's board members.
"Chris has brought structure, organization, thoughtfulness and responsibility," Davenport said at last month's meeting. "He has been a great interim manager for us."
Davenport also said there was significant interest in the position following Smith's resignation, adding, "We have some good options."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.