Georgia Aquarium Gets a New CEO

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Photos of Georgia Aquarium CEO Mike Leven .

Georgia Aquarium interim Chief Executive Officer Mike Leven will have the 'interim' stripped from his title as he was named CEO of the largest fish tank in the world.

Leven will lead a facility that has seen attendance sag and recently gone through a leadership shakeup. Pictured here is a whale shark, the largest fish in the world. The Georgia Aquarium is the only facility outside of Asia to house whale sharks.

Before joining the aquarium, Leven had founded a company that franchises hotels and also been an executive in the hotel industry.

One of the aquarium's new initiatives is to bring in a new attraction every 90 days. Nandi the 9-foot manta ray was introduced in August.

Critics have said the aquarium's plan to introduce new species every 90 days may not give the animals enough time to adapt to their new environment. Here, a largetooth sawfish swims over visitors.

The aquarium has also brought in a Titanic exhibit that displays artifacts, such as this bottle of 'Westphal's Auxiliator' which says it is for the 'preservation, growth, beauty and restoration of the hair,' from the ill-fated 1912 voyage.

A $110 million dolphin exhibit is scheduled to open by the end of 2010. This artist rendition depicts the downtown Atlanta facility's expansion.

The aquarium has also been protested after the deaths of a beluga whale and whale shark.

"I feel very, very fortunate and, in a way, blessed to have this opportunity," Leven said of his new job. "On a happiness scale -- and for someone like me I am never at a 10 because I think I can always improve something -- I'm at an 8."

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Georgia Aquarium interim Chief Executive Officer Mike Leven will have the 'interim' stripped from his title as he was named CEO of the largest fish tank in the world.

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