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William B. Greene Jr., Chairman of BancTenn Corp, and the Board of directors of Bank of Tennessee announced the initial phase of the company’s Executive Management succession plan. This plan, which has been years in the making, positions the bank for continued long term success well into the future.
Dale Fair, President and CEO, has been promoted to Chairman of the Board of Bank of Tennessee. He will retain his CEO duties until his retirement later in 2021. After nearly a decade of service with Bank of Tennessee, Fair’s leadership has been instrumental in the success of the bank culminating with 2020 being the best year in the bank’s 47-year history. “Dale is one of the major titans of banking in our region! His long history is a legacy of what all senior bankers want to be. Dale is conservative and keeps a steady hand on the direction of the bank through the years” said William B.Greene Jr. 
“I count every day a blessing to work for an organization that truly cares, about the communities and customers it serves. To work for a visionary like Mr. Bill Greene and with my coworkers, that are more like family, is also a constant enjoyment. I sincerely appreciate the confidence and support that I have received,” Fair said.
A native of Elizabethton, Fair graduated from the University of Tennessee with B.S. and M.S.degrees, while playing football for the Volunteers. After completing college, Fair was a high school teacher and football coach in middle Tennessee for several years before moving back to Elizabethton in 1981 to accept a position at Citizens Bank. In 2002, he left the banking industry to serve the needs of the community as County Mayor of Carter County. Fair held the elected position for a term of four years. 
In 2006, Fair accepted the position of Executive Director of First Tennessee Human Resource Agency, which provides social services for individuals in Carter, Greene, Johnson, Hancock, Hawkins, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties in Northeast Tennessee.
In 2012, Fair returned to the financial services industry as President and CEO of Carter County Bank, a division of Bank of Tennessee. Fair was promoted to President and COO in 2013, and then to CEO in July of 2019. Fair has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 43 years and together they have three children and seven grandchildren.
Grant Summers, President of Summers-Taylor Inc. and an active member of the Bank of Tennessee Board of Directors, was selected to serve as Vice-Chairman of the Board. Greene commented, “Grant and his parents, Rab and Nita Summers, along with his grandparents (who were co-founders of Carter County Bank, now part of BancTenn. Corp.) have been major owners of the bank since 1939. Grant, a Duke University graduate in engineering along with his MBA from The Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, has become a major economic force in our region.”
Will Barrett, COO has been promoted to President of the Bank. As President/COO, Barrett will be responsible for managing the daily operations of Bank of Tennessee and its divisions, Carter County Bank and Mountain Community Bank. 
Fair was quoted as saying, “I know Will Barrett is the right leader to continue the tremendous success that the bank has been experiencing.”
“While the financial services industry experiences unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty, Bank of Tennessee’s customer-centric mindset and ownership culture are our unwavering foundations. It all centers on people. I’m honored to champion that into the future and excited to leverage the best technology available to take our customers and employees to the next level,” said Barrett.
Greene said, “The future requires banking to have good judgement and understand the digital world we are rapidly moving into. Will has an extensive background with banks in North Carolina before coming home to Tennessee. Obviously, the board is looking to the future with the talent Will brings to the bank. These amazing, next generation of leaders are the future of our bank and our region.” Barrett’s preparation for this new role began more than 14 years ago as a part-time teller. Since then, he has garnered experience in all areas of the bank by serving in roles in credit, lending, IT, operations and as Northeast Tennessee President. His proven results in all areas of the bank and his “people first” mentality made Barrett the natural choice to lead the Bank. 
Barrett’s promotion makes him one of the youngest presidents of a financial institution in the state of Tennessee and speaks to the confidence the Board of Directors has in Barrett’s ability to lead the bank. A native of Kingsport, and graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School, he received a BA in Economics and Religion and his MBA from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. 
Will and his wife, Jessica, have one daughter and live in Johnson City.
About Bank of Tennessee
Bank of Tennessee is a locally owned community bank headquartered in Northeast Tennessee with 21 branch locations from middle Tennessee to western North Carolina, with Carter County Bank and Mountain Community Bank divisions and $1.65 in assets.