A field of more than 80 candidates who applied for the job of Center City Commission president and CEO has been winnowed down to three finalists.

After an intensive session of interviews with a short list of seven candidates, the CCC’s executive search committee is bringing back three for one last round of interviews with Downtown stakeholders, CCC board members and staff.

Two of the candidates are Memphians. Andy Kitsinger, senior vice president of planning and development for the CCC, and attorney Paul Morris, a former CCC board chairman, are in the running.

So is Thomas Chatmon, executive director of the Downtown Development Board and Community Redevelopment Agency for Orlando, Fla.

The candidates are applying for the job current CCC president Jeff Sanford is stepping down from at the end of June. Sanford has led the Downtown development agency for 12 years.

“The level of interest in this position is a testament (to) the exciting growth taking place in Memphis,” said Dave Smith, an executive recruiter leading the search for the CCC.

After next week’s final interviews, the search committee will announce its selection of a candidate to recommend to the CCC board, which will approve the choice at a specially called meeting.

The job garnered a healthy amount of local interest. Memphians who threw their names into the hat included Memphis City Councilman Myron Lowery, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy executive director Rick Masson, CCC chief administrative officer Eric Robertson and CCC vice president of operations Jerome Rubin.