Former Franklin Mayor Jerry Sharber will serve as interim general manager for the new unified Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, chamber officials announced today.

Sharber's start date has not been determined, said Brad Dunn, who led the chamber transition effort and has been tapped to be the organization's first chairperson.

The chamber committee charged with recruiting and recommending a permanent chief executive officer/president expects to launch a national search once state government officials complete the required review of a merger plan involving the chambers of Williamson County-Franklin, Brentwood Cool Springs and Cool Springs.

The unification is expected to be official by Oct. 1.

"[Sharber’s] broad expertise and deep community involvement make him a great choice for this interim time period, during which chamber functions will be fully up and running to serve our members while we also begin developing the structure and vision for the unified Chamber," Dunn, senior vice president with Pinnacle Financial Partners, said in a release. 

Sharber most recently has been an adjunct faculty member in math with Columbia State Community College. He previously worked as a consultant for Williamson Medical Center.

Sharber served as Franklin mayor from 1989 to 2003, during which time the city budget grew from $9 million to $40 million and the population increased more than 100 percent (from 1990 to 2000).