Longtime CEO of Natural Resources Council announces retirement

Courtesy /Natural Resources Council of Maine Lisa Pohlmann, CEO of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, will retire by the end of 2022, the organization announced Wednesday.

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By Renee Cordes

After more than a decade as CEO of the Natural Resources Council of Maine and 22 years with the Augusta-based environmental advocacy nonprofit, Lisa Pohlmann will retire by the end of this year, the organization announced Wednesday.

Pohlmann, NRCM's first female CEO since the organization was founded in 1959, has dedicated her career to a wide range of issues from environmental conservation and economic justice to women’s rights.

In an email message to members, Pohlmann said that leading NRCM for the past 11 years has been the most gratifying work of her professional life.

“I know that thanks to our collective work, this organization has never been better prepared to address the significant environmental challenges we face and to make sure that everyone in Maine, regardless of where they live or where they come from, can experience the wonder of the woods, waters, and wildlife that define our very identity,” she said.

The council cited environmental milestones under Pohlmann's watch including completion of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, passage of the nation’s strictest metal mining law and the establishment of the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument.

Pohlmann's involvement with NRCM began with serving on its board of directors for seven years, including two as board president. In 2008, she became the organization’s deputy director, and after a national search she was hired in 2011 to lead NRCM.

In 2015, Pohlmann received the first Women in Conservation award from the National Wildlife Federation. She holds a doctorate from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine and previously held leadership positions at the Maine Center for Economic Policy and New Hope for Women.

“With NRCM’s powerful accomplishments going back more than six decades, Lisa can retire knowing that her leadership role at NRCM will make a difference for generations to come," NRCM Board Chair Maria Gallace said in a message to members.

The board has already begun to form a search committee to identify Pohlmann's successor, and said details about the process will be announced at a later time.

Jennifer Hutchins, executive director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits, paid tribute to Pohlmann while highlighting the importance of nonprofit leadership succession more generally.

"Lisa has had tremendous impact through her work at NRCM leaving big shoes to fill, and as Maine’s nonprofit sector continues to see a notable increase in departures from our workforce, it’s imperative that charitable nonprofits prepare for succession far in advance so their mission-driven work endures," Hutchins told Mainebiz.