New CEO elected at See Rock City Inc.
The board of directors of See Rock City, Inc. is proud to announce that as of July 1, 2020, Susan P. Harris has been elected to serve SRC as the president and chief executive officer of the company.
Bill Chapin, who organized a group of investors to purchase Rock City Gardens from his family in December 1984, will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Harris originally filled the role of director of human resources and organizational development for SRC in 2008, prior to becoming president in 2013 and adding chief operating officer to her responsibilities in 2016. She is the first woman and first person outside of the Chapin and Carter families to hold this position.
Chapin stated, “Susan has worked extensively in organizational culture and leadership development and has most recently served as the COO responsible for operational and financial performance. She has earned this opportunity. No one is more qualified than Susan. Her heart is big, her stamina is strong, and her work ethic is amazing. 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.”
In addition to working with SRC, Harris is a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga and is a current board member of the Chattanooga Tourism Co., the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. She also serves as a mentor with the 10 project and is co-chair of the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Altar Guild where she has been a longtime parishioner.
Previously she has served on the board of directors for the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, the Chattanooga chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Tennessee Academy of Gymnastics Booster Club and the Hixson Youth Athletic Association.
She is a 2018 Leadership Chattanooga graduate, has served as an executive mentor with the Principal Leadership Academy and has been an adjunct faculty member with the University of Phoenix.
Harris is 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. Harris has also received the
HR Professional Excellence Award by the Tennessee SHRM State Council.
She is an HR Certification Institute Senior Professional in Human Resources and an SHRM senior certified professional. Previous professional positions include the director of HR for Express Financial Services and the director of People Development for Chattanooga Group. Harris is a native Chattanoogan who 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.
About SRC Inc.
SRC Inc. is a hospitality and entertainment company that features the world-renowned Rock City Gardens high atop Lookout Mountain, and also owns and operates 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, Tennessee; and Blowing Springs Farm in Flintstone, Georgia.
Visit www.seerockcity.com for more information.