William B. Greene Jr, Chairman of BancTenn Corp, and the Board of Directors of Bank of Tennessee enthusiastically announce the appointment of a new CEO and the promotion of several key employees. On October 21, 2019 the Board named Dale Fair as the new Chief Executive Officer for Bank of Tennessee and divisions, Carter County Bank and Mountain Community Bank. With Fair’s vast experience in the financial sector, Bank of Tennessee will continue to thrive and serve the community under his leadership.
A native of Elizabethton, Tennessee, Fair attended the University of Tennessee and played football there after graduating from Elizabethton High School in 1973. After completing college, Fair was a high school teacher and football coach in middle Tennessee for several years until 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 assistance and social services for individuals in Carter, Greene, Johnson, Hancock, Hawkins, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington Counties in Northeast Tennessee. In July of 2012, Fair returned to the banking industry as President and CEO of Carter County Bank, a division of Bank of Tennessee. Fair was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Bank of Tennessee in December 2013. Mr. Fair has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 41 years and together they have three children and seven grandchildren.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be part of a great team of co-workers, officers, and Board of Directors. I appreciate the opportunity to help lead and direct this institution and to continue its strong performance and service to our customers,” said Fair.
In addition to Fair’s promotion, several other employees were honored with promoted leadership positions including William Barrett as Chief Operating Officer and Detra Cleven as Johnson City President.
William Barrett, a native of Kingsport, graduated from Dobyns-Bennett and then attended Wake Forest University attaining a BA in Economics and Religion and then an MBA. He is a graduate from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. His career with Bank of Tennessee spans over 13 years where he has served in various roles including credit, lending, and operations, most recently as Northeast Tennessee Market President. His industry knowledge, strategic drive, and “people first” mentality made Barrett the natural choice to manage the bank’s daily operations and achieve its strategic goals. Barrett and his wife have one daughter and live in Johnson City.
Barrett said, “To quote an old TV show, ‘I love it when a plan comes together.’ Particularly when we can take a complex issue like financial services, make it simple, create value, and I can rally people around it. I’m on the A-Team at Bank of Tennessee.”
Detra Cleven has been at Bank of Tennessee for over 8 years. She was born and raised in Minnesota where she attended Saint Olaf College. She has been inducted in to the Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 as a competitive swimmer. Her banking career started in 1993 in Lafayette, IN. In 2019, she graduated with high honors from LSU School of Banking. Cleven’s experience includes product profitability, development of both consumer and business deposit products, and treasury management. Cleven will be serving as Johnson City President, managing Washington County and Unicoi County. Cleven and her husband live in Kingsport, TN and have twins that just started college.
“With Bank of Tennessee being a regional leader in financial services, I’m excited to continue the success, high standards, and services that our community deserves,” said Cleven.
“Based on this strengthened management foundation, we are better positioned to provide new products and services, create new customer value, strengthen our competitiveness and improve profitability,” said William B. Greene Jr., Chairman of the bank’s holding company, BancTenn Corp.
