GLIN==> Great Lakes Commission names new executive director

Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission is pleased to announce the hiring of Tim A. Eder, director of water resources for the National Wildlife Foundation, as its new executive director.

Eder, who has more than 25 years experience in natural resources policy development and advocacy, will be in charge of the Commission’s day-to-day operations and advancing the shared interests of the Commission’s membership in the areas of natural resources management and advocacy.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Tim Eder as our new executive director,” said Commission Chair Tom Huntley. “With his extensive background in water resources policy development and advocacy, he is an outstanding choice to lead this organization and shape its future direction as it pursues its vision of a healthy environment, prosperous economy and high quality of life for all citizens of the Great Lakes region.”

“It is a distinct honor to be asked to lead the Great Lakes Commission,” Eder said. “This is an exciting time for the Great Lakes region. We face some serious economic challenges and remarkable opportunities in the years ahead, including rebuilding sustainable economies, protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. I look forward with great enthusiasm to working with the Board, Commissioners, Commission partners and a very talented staff as we define our role in helping the states and provinces meet those challenges.”

In nearly two decades with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Eder has headed a variety of programs that directly relate to Great Lakes issues. As NWF director of water resources, he led the formation of a nationwide coalition of taxpayer and conservation interests that forged bipartisan support in the U.S. House and Senate for legislation to protect and restore aquatic habitat. Prior to that, he served as director of the NWF’s largest field office, the Great Lakes Natural Resource Center, dedicated to educating, mobilizing and assisting individuals and organizations in the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.

As a regional executive with NWF in the 1990s, he represented the organization’s views before Congress, agencies, other opinion leaders and the media. He also coordinated and led a 10-year federal and multistate campaign to develop and adopt uniform pollution control standards to implement the purposes of the U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

“Tim Eder understands the importance of the Great Lakes to Michigan and our neighboring states and provinces,” said Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry, vice chair of the Great Lakes Commission. “His Washington, D.C. experience will be critical in our efforts to win federal support for protecting and restoring the Great Lakes.”

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, chair of the Commission’s Illinois delegation, also had praise for Eder’s selection.

“Tim Eder is a proven advocate for the protection and restoration of our most valuable natural resource,” he said. “We welcome his resolve, commitment and innovative approach to ensuring a healthful environment for the citizens of Illinois and the Great Lakes region.”

He currently serves on the boards of the Washtenaw County (Mich.) Road Commission, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and on the Michigan Aquatic Nuisance Species Advisory Council. He previously served on the board of directors of the Great Lakes Fishery Trust and co-chaired the Aquatic Invasive Species Team of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.

Eder, who will officially begin his duties on July 10, is the Great Lakes Commission’s fifth executive director since it was established in 1955. He succeeds Michael J. Donahue, who left in 2005 to take a position with URS Corporation in Farmington Hills, Mich.

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by the Hon. Thomas E. Huntley (Minnesota), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes‑St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of state legislators, agency officials and governors’ appointees from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.