Today Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVA) announced that Matthew Godlewski is the association’s new president. The decision by a leading natural gas association has garnered widespread support from both the clean energy and transportation sectors.
Andrew Littlefair, president and CEO of Clean Energy, offered congratulations to outgoing president Richard Kolodziej, also a friend, on his “superb” tenure at the helm of NGVA and said he is eager to continue working alongside NGVA with its new leader.
“Matt’s impressive trade association experience with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and proven ability to lead diverse teams to positively impact legislative agendas are critical assets and will help him bring the benefits of natural gas fueling to more communities across the country, ” said Littlefair.
Godlewski’s former employer also gave him kudos and pointed to his “dynamic” leadership while at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
“We will miss his thoughtful, dynamic leadership. The natural gas for transportation arena is an exciting growth space right now. Matt will do a fantastic job in leveraging new opportunities for NGVA and I look forward to continuing to work with him,” said Mitch Bainwol, president and CEO of the Alliance.
Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the American Gas Association, noted that the nation’s abundance of clean natural gas can be expanded beyond its current usage to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to provide new growth prospects for all sectors of the U.S. economy.
“Transportation is one of those areas where we have seen incredible growth and, with the right leadership, I think we can see a whole lot more,” he said.
Marty Durbin, president and CEO of America’s Natural Gas Alliance remarked that the selection of Godlewski represents an important new direction for the association as well as the natural gas vehicle industry as a whole.
“His experience, his vision for the future of this burgeoning industry and his leadership will bring important stakeholders together to better leverage abundant, American natural gas in our transportation sector. Doing so will improve air quality, strengthen our economy and enhance our energy security,” he added.
More support came from Gordon Exel, president of Cummins Wesport, a joint venture of Cummins Inc. and Westport Innovations Inc. for heavy- and medium-duty natural gas truck and bus engines.
“We’re building a stronger national trade association for the future to support the continued growth of natural gas vehicles. I am confident that Matt will lead NGVAmerica in new and exciting directions,” said Exel.
NGVAmerica represents more than 230 companies, environmental groups, and government organizations interested in the promotion and use of natural gas in transportation.
