The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce has named MTSU’s John Hood as the 2013 Business Legend of the Year.

The chamber announced this week that it will honor Hood at its annual Business at its Best celebration on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Embassy Suites Murfreesboro Hotel & Conference Center.

John Hood

Since 2008, Hood has served as director in the Office of Community Engagement and Support for Middle Tennessee State University. His entire career spans more than six decades, with posts in radio broadcasting, banking, human resources, higher education and governmental service at the city, county and state levels.

“I’m grateful for living and working in this wonderful community over the years and being able to be a part of the public and private community,” Hood said. “I’m honored and flattered to be recognized in such a way.”

Hood represented the 48th District in the Tennessee General Assembly House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006. Before that he was a member of the Rutherford County Quarterly Court, now the County Commission, from 1968 to 1978 and the Murfreesboro City School Board from 1967 to 1983.

Before his election as a state representative, Hood spent 20 years as vice president of marketing for SunTrust Bank, 10 years at MTSU, as the first director of development, followed by assistant to the president, six years as personnel manager for Samsonite Corp. and 10 years in radio broadcasting for WGNS and WMTS. He is also a military veteran, having served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956.

Hood is “a devoted community advocate, has volunteered for many civic and non-profit organizations, and emceed countless community events and fundraisers,” the chamber release states. Affiliations include the Exchange Club of Murfreesboro, United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, Read to Succeed and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, where he has served as a diplomat for the past 18 years.

Previous leadership roles include national president of the Exchange Clubs of America, chairman of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, president of the Tennessee School Boards Association, chairman of the Tennessee Advisory Board for the AAA Auto Club Group, president of the MTSU National Alumni Association, and treasurer of the Rutherford County Emergency Communications District. He was the 2012 recipient of the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation’s Excellence in Education Award.

Hood and wife Marilyn have been married for 62 years, and have three children, Garry W. Hood, Rebecca Hagan and Mark R. Hood; and four grandchildren, Christin H. Waters, twins Grady and Cooper Hood and John Robin Hood.

The Business at its Best reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are $70 for chamber members and $90 for nonmembers. To reserve a seat, contact the chamber at 615-893-6565 or visit www.rutherfordchamber.org.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)