Natural Gas Vehicles for America named Matthew Godlewski as the group’s next president. He will succeed Rich Kolodziej who has served for 18 years as the advocacy group’s president. The change will be effective by the middle of October.

“The NGV market is poised for rapid expansion and NGVAmerica has a critical role in that path,” said Ron Eickelman, chairman of NGVAmerica. “Matt is an experienced trade association executive who has a proven ability to lead effective teams and collaborate with industry allies.”

Godlewski was previously the vice president of state affairs at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. He has been a lobbyist for more than 20 years.

“The natural gas for transportation arena is an exciting growth space right now,” said Mitch Bainwol, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “Matt will do a fantastic job in leverageing new opportunities for NGVA.”

There is expected to be a 20 percent increase in the purchase of large trucks running on natural gas over last year, says NGV America. Godlewski will evaluate NGVAmerica’s mission and brand when he takes over.

“The road ahead for natural gas as a transportation fuel is full of opportunity,” said Godlewski. “I am excited to join the industry during such a transformational period and look forward to serving NGVAmerica members as we work together to further accelerate its growth.