Goettler has served on Cato Institute's Board of Directors since last year and he has been a supporter of the think tank for 15 years. He is also on the board of a large network of libertarian think tanks called Atlas Network.
Current CEO John Allison, who was former Chairman and CEO of BB&T, is retiring after just two and a half years at the helm. But Allison will continue to serve on Cato's Board of Directors, in addition to acting as Chairman of the Executive Advisory Council for the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives.
Here is more from Cato about Allison's tenure:
Under Allison’s leadership, Cato’s financial support has grown by 64 percent, from total revenues of $22.1 million in FY2013 to total revenues of $36.3 million (projected) in FY2015. Allison also played a significant role in launching two new policy centers at Cato: the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, which studies alternatives to today’s financial regulatory regime; and the Center for the Study of Science, which studies the effects of government funding on scientific research.
Here is a bit more about Goettler's background from Bloomberg. And here is what David Weigel of Bloomberg Politics is saying about the leadership change at Cato. Weigel notes that Allison was "affable" and "brought Cato to normalcy" during the past couple of years.
Here is a previous Think Tank Watch piece on how John Allison came to power at Cato.
It is interesting how Cato is replacing the outgoing head - a former banker - with another former banker. Perhaps it is because revenues have grown so much of the past two years?
