Jim Hart of Knoxville has been named the new executive director of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Hart, a former president of Multimedia Broadcasting Company and general manager of WBIR-TV Channel 10 in Knoxville, most recently served as senior vice president of Scripps Howard Broadcasting Company and consultant for Scripps Network. During his tenure in broadcasting, Hart was instrumental in the creation of the Heartland Series and the annual “Friends Across the Mountains” telethon, which WBIR of Knoxville originated and now shares with WLOS-TV Channel 13 in Asheville.

Friends of the Smokies, a nonprofit organization, was established in 1993 to assist the National Park Service by raising funds and public awareness and providing volunteers for needed projects. The organization is governed by a 15-member board of directors from North Carolina and Tennessee. The North Carolina representatives on the board are Chief Leon Jones (chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Friends Vice-President Stephen W. Woody, Barney Coulter, Mimi Cecil, Ken Wilson, Deener Matthews and John Dickson.

Last year, Friends of the Smokies generated gifts of more than $1.5 million and thousands of hours of volunteer service for projects such as the experimental return of elk to Cataloochee Valley, the Parks as Classrooms program, and the new Purchase Knob Learning Center near Waynesville.