Kansas City, MO -- (Sports Network) - The Kansas City Chiefs named Denny Thum as president of the organization.

Team chairman Clark Hunt made the announcement on Friday.

"Denny has been an outstanding member of the Chiefs organization for almost four decades, and we are very fortunate to have a person with his level of experience and expertise running the business," Hunt said. "I know he will continue to do a tremendous job in his new role as president."

Prior to his appointment as the interim president in December of 2008, Thum had served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer since May of 2006.

Before that, he had served the previous 10 seasons as the executive vice president and assistant general manager. He was originally named the assistant general manager in 1989 and added the responsibilities of executive vice president to the assistant GM duties in 1996.

He began his tenure with Kansas City as a staff accountant in 1974. He was named the chief accountant in 1982 and was promoted to director of accounting in 1983 before being elevated to the position of assistant to the general manager from 1984-88.

"I would like to thank Clark Hunt and the Hunt family for this tremendous opportunity," said Thum. "As an organization, it will be our ongoing objective to build on the proud 50-year history of our franchise. It has been my privilege to serve the Chiefs for the past 35 years, and I am extremely honored to be named the fourth president of the club. We are committed to making the Chiefs fan experience the finest in the National Football League as we usher in a new era of Chiefs football."