NASHVILLE (AP) — An airport authority in Tennessee has named its new CEO after letting its previous leader go.

A news release says the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority's board picked Doug Kreulen as its president and CEO at a meeting Wednesday.

Kreulen is the authority's former chief operating officer and has served as acting, and later interim, president and CEO since July 2017.

Kreulen joined the authority in 2012. He served in the United States Air Force for 27 years and earned the rank of colonel.

Board Chairman Bobby Joslin said Kreulen has the aviation, operations, strategic planning and overall command experience to guide Nashville's airports through a major expansion and beyond.

The board officially fired ex-CEO Robert Wigington last month. His termination is the subject of a lawsuit.