WESTBROOK – Bob Dunfey has operated hotels and worked in former President Bill Clinton’s administration, and now he is in Westbrook, working for ITNPortland out of the Dana Warp Mill.

Dunfey was hired recently as executive director of ITNPortland, a nonprofit organization providing transportation to seniors and the visually impaired. He brings with him a wealth of experience from his years in the hotel industry. His career began in his family’s company, Dunfey Hotels, now known as Omni Hotels. He also worked for the General Service Administration for New England during Clinton’s presidency. He said his experiences helped him realize his passion for working in public service.

ITNPortland began as a graduate school project at the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service in Portland. Founder Katherine Freund was inspired to start the program after an 84-year-old driver struck her son with a car. The organization seeks to provide good transportation options to seniors across the country. ITNPortland serves as the model for affiliate programs across the country.

Dunfey spoke with the American Journal this week about his reasons for joining ITNPortland and his goals for the company going forward.

Q: A leadership position at ITNPortland seems so different from other items on your resume. What attracted you to the job?

A: After many years of volunteering and serving on a number of boards of directors for nonprofits, as well as working in the federal government, I discovered that I preferred nonprofit and public service work over private sector work. I enjoyed seeing how my efforts giving back could make a real difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities.

Q: What expertise do you bring to the job and how do you see yourself helping ITNPortland?

A: I bring to ITNPortland various skill sets in operations, marketing and public relations that will help improve the performance of ITNPortland and grow the number of seniors and visually impaired adults we serve.

Q: What was it like working with the Clinton administration? What role did you play and how did it feel working for the president?

A: It was an honor to serve in the Clinton administration. I was the Regional Administrator of the General Service Administration for New England. GSA operates, renovates and builds the federal office building as well as lease space for most federal agencies. It also provides most of the products and services for the rest of government like office equipment, supplies, cars and information technology. I was a bit uneasy about becoming an appointee in the Clinton administration. I feared that I would be sucked into the “sausage grinder” bureaucracy and not be able to make a real difference. Instead, I exceeded my wildest expectations of getting things done and making a difference. For example, Al Gore’s office asked me to fix government telephone listings in telephone books across the entire country. I organized all of the major telephone companies to list local, state and federal government agencies by subject. This section of the phone book is called the Blue Pages.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your background in the hotel industry? How do those experiences influence what you’re doing at ITNPortland?

A: I was 10 years old when my family bought the Eastland Hotel in Portland. At that time it was the second largest hotel in New England, with 800 rooms, five restaurants, five cocktail lounges, a convention center, several stores and offices. It was a fascinating place for a 10-year-old. I worked there every summer and most school vacations until I graduated from college. I worked in most every position. There was no question in my mind what my career would be following college. My work in the hospitality business and at ITNPortland is very similar because we provide personalized services. We know that we are successful when we meet or exceed our customers’ expectations. After many years in the hotel business, I am very familiar with all of the various challenges of satisfying customers and making them happy ones.

Q: Why is the work of ITNPortland important?

A: Because it helps older people live independently in their own homes even when they limit or stop driving because of age-related changes. This may not sound like much, but the reality is that older people typically live for 10 years after they make the decision to stop driving. Transportation for older people is actually a family issue, so ITN helps not only the seniors who use the service, but their adult children and the greater community. ITN members can get to the doctor, to shopping, to work and to volunteer – whatever they need. Since ITN began providing rides more than 15 years ago, it has delivered more than 230,000 door-through-door and arm-through-arm rides – opening doors, carrying packages, offering a supportive arm when needed.

Q: What goals do you have for ITNPortland? How is the activity of the local company tied to the national program, ITNAmerica?

A: The goals for ITN are first, to build our base of volunteers and supporters so we can keep doing what we are doing – providing the highest quality service for the best possible price. Second, we hope to expand service through the development of ITNAmerica’s new program for rural and small communities, ITNEverywhere. ITNPortland’s activity is extremely important to the national organization, ITNAmerica, because we are the model for sustainable senior transportation for communities across the nation. There are now 18 ITN affiliates in 14 states, and more communities are joining all the time.

Bob Dunfey was hired recently as executive director of ITNPortland.