After ten years as President and CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), John Judge announced that he is stepping down. He has accepted the position of President and CEO at the conservation non-profit organization, The Trustees, based in Massachusetts. Judge will continue in his role with AMC until late January. AMC’s Board of Directors will announce an interim President and CEO for the organization in the coming weeks.

“John has been an important force in expanding AMC’s recreation destinations, advocating for public lands and waters, conserving important outdoor resources, and furthering the organization’s commitment to addressing climate change,” said AMC Board of Directors Chair, Elizabeth Ehrenfeld. “We appreciate what he’s done for the organization and look forward to building on this momentum.”

Judge is leaving the Appalachian Mountain Club at a time when the organization’s prominence in regional outdoor recreation and conservation sectors continues to grow.

Over the past decade, AMC has:

• Expanded its recreational offerings by opening Medawisla Lodge in Maine and the Corman Harriman Outdoor Center in New York.
• Improved outdoor access in urban and rural areas through projects such as the Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway in Massachusetts and the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania.
• Celebrated conservation victories such as the permanent reauthorization and funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, for which the organization is a leader of the national coalition.
• Advanced the work of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative by protecting thousands of acres of critical wildlife habitats and ecosystems. AMC’s property in the 100-Mile Wilderness landscape of Maine also received the first International Dark Sky Park designation in New England.

“For me, this departure is bittersweet,” said President and CEO, John Judge. “Although I’ve decided to transition to a new challenge that is closer to my home in Massachusetts, I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish during my ten years at the Appalachian Mountain Club and I’m excited to see what great work AMC will continue to do in the coming years.”