The Celebration announced Tuesday that Doyle Meadows will serve as the new Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration CEO. From left are: Interim CEO Virgil Johnson, vice chairman of the board Charles McDonald, Meadows, Celebration board chairman David L. Howard, and board member John T. Bobo. (TWHNC photo)

Pat Marsh, chairman of the search committee for the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, announced the appointment of Doyle Meadows as its new chief executive officer this week.

"After an extensive selection process in which we interviewed many exceptional candidates, I am pleased to announce the unanimous decision of the Board of the Celebration to select Dr. Doyle Meadows for the position. Doyle is well recognized within the greater horse industry and he has served in many capacities that make him uniquely qualified to serve in this role," said Marsh in a news release.

"I am excited to begin a new career as the CEO of the Celebration," said Meadows in a news release. "I appreciate the confidence of David Howard, Chairman of the Board and of the entire Celebration Board of Directors and anticipate a long-lasting relationship. The Celebration is extremely important to the community and I look forward to being part of the Bedford County family."

Meadows has recently retired from a 20-year career with the University of Tennessee Extension, where he led the statewide horse program including leading the state 4-H horse shows, the nationally recognized Tennessee 4-H judging contests, and many other multi-state horse events. Meadows has coached 25 world and national champion youth horse judging teams.

He has served as the show manager of the Tennessee State 4-H Horse Championships, held at Calsonic Arena on the Celebration grounds, for 20 years. The 2007 event featured 2,500 entries.

Meadows has strong working relationships with all horse breed associations and is uniquely familiar with the Tennessee Walking Horse. He has judged horse shows in the United States and eight foreign countries. He has conducted judging workshops and judges' ethics seminars for the National Horse Show Commission (NHSC) in Tennessee, Kentucky and Nevada. He has conducted educational programs for the Walking Horse Owners Association (WHOA) at their annual meetings. He has conducted judging clinics and seminars for the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders Association at the Celebration and represented the Tennessee Walking Horse in Germany. Meadows has also conducted workshops for the National Walking Horse Association (NWHA) and the Pleasure Walking Horse Association of Tennessee (PWHAT).

Meadows lives in Fayetteville and is married to the former Gloria Gill, who is the daughter of W. W. Gill, Jr., an exhibitor in the first Celebration and a lifelong breeder and supporter of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Meadows has two daughters, Mindi and Caroline. Caroline shows Tennessee Walking Horses in the 12-17 year old age group.

Celebration Chairman David Howard said "The Celebration honored Dr. Meadows upon his retirement from the University of Tennessee in 2007 with the Celebration Champion Award. This distinguished award was established in 1991 and since that time only ten people have been selected. Doyle was selected because of his intense commitment to the promotion of youth horse shows across the country. He is a well-respected expert about the horse and he has practical experience in developing and growing a large-scale horse show. His understanding of the youth involved in the sport is an exciting benefit as we look for him to lead the Celebration to a bigger and better event in the future."

Meadows has been honored throughout his career with many distinguished service, achievement and leadership awards. He organized the first Tennessee Volunteer Horse Fair with Dr. Dave Whitaker and is a well-respected author of equine nutrition and horse production articles. He has a master's degree and a doctorate in animal science from Texas A & M University, and he served in the Air Force Reserve.