PORTLAND
After an extensive, nationwide search, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine recently selected John Williams, an experienced leader with a love of cycling, as the organization’s new executive director.
“In its 25-year history, the coalition has benefited from strong executive leadership,” coalition board of directors President Phil Coffin said. “Given his impressive record of success to date, we are confident that John, along with the coalition’s staff and board, will continue to build the organization and inspire the Maine community to make Maine a better place for bicycling and walking.”
Williams, who holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono, served in the administration of Gov. Angus King as the executive director of the Maine Waste Management Agency and, subsequently, the executive director of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission.
From 2002 through 2015, he served as president of the Maine Pulp and Paper Association, developing policies at the state and federal levels to benefit the industry and its employees while protecting
Maine’s natural resources and promoting sustainability. In January 2015, Williams opened Great Salt Bay Consulting, providing strategic communications, government relations, and public relations services to clients in the forest products industry.
Williams is also a longtime board member and former treasurer of Maine Family Planning, which provides affordable reproductive health care in many clinics in Maine, and a former board member and president of the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute. He’s also been a member of the coalition for many years, as well as Adventure Cycling and the Kennebec Land Trust.
Williams is a passionate cyclist who has biked through many states, several Canadian provinces, the Netherlands, Croatia, Austria, Cornwall, Ireland and Slovenia, and participated in several high-profile bicycle tour events.
“I’m honored by the board of directors’ decision, and I look forward to helping the organization grow and thrive in the coming years,” Williams said.
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