The American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) board of directors announced that Glenn Hughes, ASA’s vice president for industry relations, has been hired to take on the role of president beginning April 1, 2018.
The announcement was made during the board of directors meeting which convened at the 2017 Sportfishing Summit, the association’s annual business meeting, being held October 10-13, at the Opal Sands Resort in Clearwater Beach, FL
Hughes was hired in November 2013 to oversee the trade show, membership and marketing and communications efforts.
“On behalf of the board of directors and ASA’s members and staff, I’m pleased to say that it was a unanimous vote to hire Glenn as ASA’s next president,” said ASA’s board of directors Chairman, Kirk Immens, President of Sportco Marketing, Inc. “Over the past four years, Glenn has demonstrated that he has the skills and abilities required to lead our association. Glenn brought a strong industry background to ASA and is now very familiar with how our trade association functions which makes him uniquely qualified to address the economic and environmental issues that are impacting our industry.”
“The board of directors has made an excellent selection,” said ASA’s President and CEO Mike Nussman. “From fisheries management to excise taxes to access to our nation’s public lands and waters, for more than eight decades, ASA has worked to ensure that our industry’s voice is heard when decisions are being made. With his passion for the sport and his industry background, Glenn is the right guy to lead the association forward.”
Last week, Nussman announced that he will retire as ASA’s President and CEO effective March 31, 2018.
“I am honored that I was selected for this position,” said Hughes. “I pledge do my very best to serve the sportfishing fishing industry and the broader recreational fishing community in my new role as ASA’s President. Fishing has brought so much joy to my life and I will do my best to help the association improve our nation’s fisheries, increase participation in our sport and increase the bottom line for our members.”
Hughes further said, “Because of our relationships, the power of the industry and the size of our fishing audience, we deliver a powerful punch on Capitol Hill and around the country. We need reasonable and thoughtful rules and regulations that allow us to do business in the U.S. We also want clean water, sustainable fisheries and access to those fish.” Hughes grew up fishing the lakes of Pennsylvania and along the Jersey Shore. He also lived for more than two decades in Florida honing his fishing skills in coastal waters all along the U.S. coastline as well as in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Hughes concluded, “Mike Nussman and I have known each other for more than 20 years. Over that time, he came to know my enthusiasm for and dedication to the industry and the association. I’m committed to ensuring that the confidence that the board of directors and Mike have in me as the association’s next President is well-founded. With guidance from the industry’s leaders, I am certainly up to the challenge.”
