For the first time in the nearly 90-year history of Rock City, the Lookout Mountain tourist destination known for its storied view of seven states will be led by someone from outside the attraction's founding families.
Susan Harris, who has served since 2016 as president and chief operating officer of See Rock City Inc., became CEO on July 1, according to a company announcement Friday. Bill Chapin, who organized a group of investors to purchase Rock City Gardens from his family in 1984, will continue to serve as chairman of the board of See Rock City Inc.
"Susan has worked extensively in organizational culture and leadership development and has most recently served as the COO responsible for operational and financial performance," Chapin wrote in announcing the leadership change. "She has earned this opportunity."
Harris came to the organization in 2008 as director of human resources and organizational development for See Rock City Inc. She became president in 2013 and added chief operating officer to her responsibilities in 2016. In addition to being the first person from outside the Chapin and Carter families to serve as CEO, she is the first woman to lead See Rock City Inc.
After being closed for two months as the coronavirus pandemic spread, Rock City reopened in May with capacity limits, social distancing and enhanced cleaning measures.
"I am confident Susan, with the responsibilities of president and chief executive officer, will lead SRC through the COVID-19 crisis and into the future with excellence," Chapin wrote of the leadership transition.
In addition to owning Rock City, See Rock City Inc. owns and operates the Battles for Chattanooga museum, RiverView Inn, Grandview Conference Center and Starbucks on Lookout Mountain; Clumpies Ice Cream Co., and ticketing and concessions for the Incline Railway and The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga; and Blowing Springs Farm in Flintstone, Georgia.
Harris is a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga and is a board member of the Chattanooga Tourism Company, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. She was also a recipient of the Tourism General Manager of the Year Award by the Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association prior to being selected at the state level by the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association in 2018.
A native Chattanoogan, Harris earned her MBA from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2005 and her Bachelor of Science in political science from Berry College in 1990.
Contact Mary Fortune at mfortune@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow her on Twitter at @maryfortune.
Staff Photo by Angela Lewis / Bill Chapin stands on an overlook at Rock City in 2012. Chapin will remain chairman of the board of See Rock City as Susan Harris becomes CEO of the Lookout Mountain attraction.