Tony Benton

Tony Benton is the Chief Executive Officer of the Tennova East Market, a system of five hospitals and 22 outpatient sites, as well as the CEO of Turkey Creek Medical Center. He has been with CHS-affiliated hospitals for eight years. Tony is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 30 years of healthcare experience. He serves on the boards for the Knoxville Rehabilitation Hospital, the Knoxville Center for Behavioral Medicine, and the Middlebrook and Volunteer Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Tony also currently serves on the Board for the United Way of Greater Knoxville, the American Heart Association, and the YMCA of East Tennessee.

Prior to joining CHS, Tony held leadership positions at Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City, serving the healthcare needs of the upper east Tennessee region for approximately 15 years. At MSHA, he held positions as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer over Washington County operations, Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Woods Community Hospital, and Vice President, Strategic Planning for the system. Tony also worked in Lexington, Kentucky, at Central Baptist Hospital.

Tony holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, both from the University of Kentucky, and he is board-certified in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow. He began his medical career as an orderly and surgical scrub tech while in school, and has held a variety of healthcare roles since then. Tony is an active member of the Knoxville community and enjoys many outdoor activities, including sailing and cycling, and recently completed his first Ironman triathlon. Tony resides in Knoxville and has two children: Abigail, who works with General Motors in Michigan, and Nathan, who is at the University of Kentucky.