John Connelly helmed group for 20 years, planned to retire in early 2023

John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, has died, the group said Monday. He led the association for 20 years, and in January had announced his intention to retire in February 2023. Connelly died Nov. 20 of cancer.

NFI had announced Nov. 1 that Lisa Wallenda Picard would succeed Connelly as president and CEO.

"Today, we mourn the loss of a fierce advocate, a loving father, a cherished husband, a beloved brother, an esteemed leader, and to so many a mentor and simply friend," NFI said in a statement attributed to its staff.

"John Connelly was the third president of the National Fisheries Institute and a man who drove fundamental change with wit, foresight, and honesty. His impact and loss is immeasurable," the group said.

NFI was incorporated in 1945.

"The NFI staff will remember his indelible impact on our lives. He was a hard-working boss whose naval officer pedigree taught him to lead from the front," the statement said.

NFI credits Connelly with the creation of the Better Seafood Board, the 2007 merger with the National Tuna Federation and subsequent development of the NFI Council system, the annual Global Seafood Market Conference and the conception of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.

Connelly, a former lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, spent 13 years at the American Chemistry Council before joining NFI in 2003.

NFI said it has established "The John Connelly Intern Scholarship" at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., to benefit the Semester in DC Program. The group said Connelly mentored interns from the college for more than a decade. The scholarship will be awarded annually to an NFI advocacy intern and benefit other interns at Washington, D.C., food trade associations.

To contribute to the scholarship contact: Phil Gibson, Holy Cross Advancement, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610. For payment via credit card, call the Office of Advancement at 508-793-3079 and reference the John Connelly internship.