The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce board and the City of Knoxville have started the hiring process for a new chamber executive director.

This comes after the recent resignation of current director Nathan Sage, who will have his last day on June 13th. Sage is running for United States Senate and will now start campaigning full time. The chamber director position is split 50/50 between the city and the chamber and the position is funded through hotel/motel tax that is designated for economic development and tourism. City Manager Heather Ussery, city council members, and the chamber board will be part of the hiring process. Sage tells KNIA/KRLS that he has loved the opportunity to be the chamber director and he is proud of the work he was able to accomplish. Sage adds that it was not an easy decision to leave, but ultimately decided to take advantage of another opportunity.

“I was planning to be here for a really long time. This opportunity did present itself last winter and it came to fruition. It took a lot of thought and it took a lot of consideration to figure out what to do, but ultimately it’s that once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to help people and I have the opportunity to help people at a higher level if I can do what I’m trying to do. It was a very difficult decision stepping away.”

Those interested in the position can see the full job description on the city’s Facebook page here. The application will be open through June 20th.