Gatton welcomes Gannaway to serve as assistant dean of finance

JOHNSON CITY (January 7, 2019) – East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy has named Bruce Gannaway to serve as assistant dean of finance.    

In this new position, Gannaway serves as the college’s chief financial officer and is responsible to the dean for all activities related to budget, personnel, finance and administration, and participates as a member of the college’s leadership team.

Gannaway holds a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of North Georgia and commissioned through the Army ROTC program as an infantry officer, where he served in the U.S. Army for nearly 21 years  and  rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Gannaway also earned both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University as part of the Defense Comptrollership Program.  

“We are thrilled to welcome Bruce to our staff,” said Dean Debbie Byrd. “His extensive background in leadership and resource management will be a great asset as he helps manage our financial operations moving forward.”  

Gannaway served at the Pentagon managing over $10 billion in military and National Intelligence Program funds. Following that he was comptroller for the 75th Ranger Regiment, and later served as Army Central Command’s Chief of Financial Operations, responsible for providing finance and accounting support to all deployed forces in South West Asia.   

Over the course of his career, he deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and once to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His final position, prior to military retirement, was as the Commander of the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Battalion.  

“After 20 plus years of military service, I’m excited to have the opportunity to relocate to East Tennessee and join a large portion of my extended family,” said Gannaway. “I have a strong desire to continue this second act of my professional life investing in people as I did during my first act.”  

Gannaway and his wife, Sarah, have four children.