RBFF Announces New Board

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) announced new board positions and members.

Starting March 1, Jeff Pontius took over as RBFF’s board chairman. Pontius has been a member of the board for more than 10 years, bringing his experience as president & CEO of Zebco to the table. Taking over Pontius’ previous position as vice chair will be Ken Hammond of The Hammond Group, who has been on the RBFF Board for several years, serving in various roles, including board chairman. Craig Bonds of Texas Parks and Wildlife will take over as treasurer, and Yamaha Motor Corporation’s Dale Barnes was voted in as secretary. Outgoing Board Chairman Jeff Marble will transition into a newly-formed seat only available to the immediate past chair.

New RBFF Board of Directors are Colleen Callahan – director, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Thom Dammrich – president emeritus, National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA); Kathy Fennel – executive vice president & general manager, Fishing League Worldwide (FLW); Jon Schlosser – vice president of marketing, Pure Fishing; and Phil Smoker – vice president of sales, Starcraft/Smoker Craft Inc.

RBFF president & CEO Frank Peterson said, “We have big goals at RBFF and our board of directors has always helped steer us in the right direction. I’m excited by the expertise represented by our board and look forward to the fresh perspectives on the biggest challenges our community is facing.”

The RBFF Board of Directors is made up of 24 individuals who have been appointed by RBFF and industry and state agency organizations.