Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) is delighted to announce that it has named John Langford as its new Chief Executive Officer. Langford started in his position on September 19, 2022.
Langford served in the United States Marine Corps for 23 years, primarily as a Weapons and Sensors Officer in the F-18D Hornet, before retiring in 2009. He completed multiple operational and combat deployments and brings with him an extensive background in Veteran nonprofit leadership focused on sports, wellness, and development.
“When I first spoke with Langford I knew he was the right person to take us from good to great, said Blain Tomlinson, PHWFF Chairman, “His energy, emotional intelligence and humility all combined with his Leadership principles and experience don’t come along every day. I’m honored to work with him and I’m excited to watch our Participants and Volunteers thrive under his leadership as we help each Veteran through their journey of healing.â€
Langford has over 35 years of experience in executive-level leadership, strategic planning, and organizational change management and in the 13 years since his military retirement, has served in senior leadership roles in defense contracting and consulting firms, corporate sales and in the nonprofit sector. For the last seven years, Langford has led in almost every facet of Veteran nonprofit management, including events, service member transition, and development, including his most recent role as the Chief Development Officer for another national Veteran-serving organization. John is a humble and passionate leader with true commitment to serving the Veteran and military community.
“It’s an incredible honor and privilege to be asked to take the helm of such a storied and impactful organization like PHWFF,†says Langford, “We have an incredible group of volunteers across the country who are the point of impact for our Veteran participants. I’m looking forward to working with our outstanding staff, our Board of Trustees, and our industry partners as we serve our Veterans along their healing journey.â€
As CEO, Langford will have overall responsibility for the growth and daily operations of PHWFF. He will work closely with the Board of Trustees and Executive staff to develop and deploy our strategy and mission of using all elements of fly fishing to assist disabled Veterans along their healing journey.