Stories of Consequence
When he took the role of president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee Aquarium in 2016, Keith Sanford ’80 admits he didn’t know much about animals. After 36 years in banking — all with First Tennessee Bank in Chattanooga — the career change may have seemed an unlikely choice.
But what Sanford lacked in aquatic animal experience, he more than made up for in his management, fundraising and financial expertise. And his love for the greater Chattanooga community, where he and his wife, Julia, have lived since 1980, made Sanford the perfect candidate to lead the 32-year-old aquarium.
After taking the reins, his first goal was to focus on the organization’s fiscal health. When Sanford took the position, the aquarium was $20 million in debt and had a $1 million endowment. Almost nine years later, the aquarium is debt-fee, and the endowment has increased to $13 million. These accomplishments would be noteworthy on their own, but Sanford achieved financial success during a global pandemic that forced the aquarium to close to the public for three months. He credits his dedicated employees, generous donors and COVID-19 relief funds for allowing the aquarium to survive during this time.
“We came out of COVID stronger than we went in and ended up with a better operating budget,” Sanford says.
On top of the fiscal accomplishments, Sanford says he is most proud of the aquarium’s work in conservation and sustainability. Shortly before he became president, the organization broke ground on the 14,000-square-foot Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI), located on the Tennessee River, just miles from the aquarium. The institute’s mission is to conserve native aquatic environments through scientific research, ecosystem restoration, education programs and public outreach.
“We’re just trying to keep species from going extinct and keep our waters clean and able to sustain life,” he says.
In the case of lake sturgeon, the TNACI was able to bring the species back from local extinction. Due to overharvesting and polluted waters, lake sturgeon had completely disappeared from the Tennessee River system. Today, more than 330,000 young sturgeons, which can live up to 150 years, have been reintroduced to the region’s waterways.
Sanford’s enthusiasm about the organization’s conservation efforts is clear when he talks about restoring native species such as brook trout and the little-known laurel dace fish in the Cumberland Plateau. His passion even extends to the Zophobas morio beetle larvae, a land-based superworm that consumes Styrofoam, transforming it into a 60% compostable product. The institute is currently studying the larvae’s eco-cleaning capabilities.
As a C-school student at Washington and Lee, Sanford spent four years primarily focused on business and finance classes. But he says the university’s liberal arts focus is one reason he was able to make a smooth and successful transition from banking president to aquarium CEO.
Sanford says his time at W&L not only taught him business acumen but also to love history and reading, as well as the value of giving back to the community, something that has remained consistent over the course of his career.
The aquarium’s mission is to connect people with nature and empower them to make informed decisions about our waterways and wildlife. In 2023, the aquarium reached more than 10,000 people through its educational and outreach programs.
In December 2024, Sanford retired as president and CEO of the Tennessee Aquarium. He misses his early-morning walks before the crowds arrive, when the otters, giant Pacific octopus, lemurs and penguins are most active. But it’s the people — his employees and the visitors — he misses most.
Even though he started this position as a self-proclaimed “money guy,” Sanford admits wildlife and conservation have had a profound impact on his life.
This article first appeared in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of W&L: The Washington and Lee Magazine. Contact us at magazine@wlu.edu.