The Tennessee Theatre announced today that Becky Hancock, recently hired as manager of communications and outreach, will serve as interim executive director following the resignation of Tom Cervone, who is leaving to take a position with the University of Tennessee.

Hancock returns to the theatre where she was general manager from 2001 to 2007.  As general manager of the Tennessee Theatre, Hancock was part of a team that oversaw the comprehensive restoration project completed at the theatre in 2005. Since leaving in 2007, Hancock served as assistant director of the historic preservation advocacy group Knox Heritage, focusing largely on fund development, marketing and special events.

Hancock is a graduate of Leadership Knoxville Class of 2006 and serves on the boards of 91.9 Inc., an advocacy and support organization for WUOT; the Historic Bijou Theatre Foundation; and Historic Rugby, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Victorian village in Morgan and Scott counties. She also remains active in the League of American Historic Theatres.

Hancock lives in the historic Old North Knoxville neighborhood with husband, Steve, and enjoys fixing up her historic home. She has been an avid rower since 2001.

About the Tennessee Theatre

Located in the heart of downtown Knoxville, the Tennessee Theatre opened in 1928 as a movie palace. The Tennessee Theatre is the Official State Theatre of Tennessee and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Tennessee Theatre is the region’s leading performing arts center with advanced technology, staging and lighting that draws top entertainment to the Knoxville area.

In 2013, the Tennessee Theatre celebrates its 85th anniversary by launching a Sustainability Campaign with the goal of raising $4 million dollars towards preserving and maintaining the theatre without additional annual fundraising.