The announcement was made by former RMA Chair W. Kendall Chalk, senior executive vice president and chief credit officer, BB&T, Winston-Salem, who chaired the committee that conducted a nationwide search.

"The membership of RMA is, indeed, fortunate to have Kevin Blakely as our next president and CEO," said Chalk. "Kevin has proven risk-management experience and is a person of high integrity and a strong leader. The Search Committee is very pleased that Kevin has agreed to take on the leadership of RMA."

Blakely, 55, is presently an executive vice president of Key Bank, Cleveland, Ohio. As chief risk officer of KeyCorp from 1994-2005, Blakely helped his institution implement an economic capital system as well as a variety of other sophisticated risk management processes. Before joining KeyCorp in 1990, Blakely had been with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for 17 years, most recently as Deputy Comptroller for Special Supervision where he provided oversight for problem and failing national banks across the U.S.

Blakely, who served as chair of RMA in 1999-2000, was a member of the board of directors for nearly a decade. An early pioneer of enterprise risk management, Blakely supported RMA's transition from a credit-focused organization to one that promotes enterprise risk management.

Current RMA Chair Glenn L. Wilson, president and CEO, Citizens National Bank, Laurel, Maryland, part of PNC Financial Services Group Inc., is pleased with Blakely's selection. "As a past chair of RMA who has been active in the organization for two decades, Kevin knows both the Association and the industry very well. He is the ideal person to lead RMA."

Blakely earned a BS in Finance from Southern Illinois University and an MBA with distinction from Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of various not-for-profit boards of trustees, many of which support neglected and abused children.

Blakely is the seventh chief executive to serve RMA since its founding in 1914. He replaces Maurice H. Hartigan II, 67, who is retiring. Hartigan said, "Kevin's strong background in risk management in both the public and private sectors and his firm belief in the role of training and research in the development of tomorrow's risk managers ensure that RMA will be led by a superior CEO as it continues to bring solutions to its growing global membership."