The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority’s (MKAA) Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to hire Patrick Wilson, A.A.E., as president, effective mid-November 2018. Wilson will replace William F. “Bill” Marrison, who is retiring on December 31, 2018, after 36 years of service to the organization and the traveling public of East Tennessee.
“The MKAA Board of Commissioners knew that finding someone to follow Bill Marrison as president would be a monumental undertaking,” says Eddie Mannis, Chairman of the MKAA Board of Commissioners. “Patrick is a natural fit for the position with his proven track record of strong leadership, team building and capital improvement execution.”
Having graduated top of his class from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Master of Business in Aviation and having received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Wilson went on to earn the Accredited Airport Executive (AAE) designation from the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). He has also been AAAE-certified as an Airport Security Coordinator (ASC), attended the Advanced Airport Operations Specialist School and is an Airport Certified Employee (ACE). In his most recent position as executive director at the Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville, TN, Wilson developed the vision and made strategic partnerships to create a 160-acre on-airport aerospace industry park that resulted in $40 million of site infrastructure.
“I am honored to have been selected to serve as the next President of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority,” says Wilson. “I hope to contribute to and build upon the strong aviation foundation that exists at both McGhee Tyson and Downtown Island Airports by recruiting air service, creating new jobs and investing in the people who work at and visit the airports.”
