Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain Names Mark Holtzman as Chief Executive Officer

Winterville, NC – Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain (BGCCP) announced today that the Board of Directors has unanimously named Mark Holtzman as the next Chief Executive Officer effective October 1, 2022.

Mark has more than twenty years of experience in various leadership positions within local government police organizations in Maryland and North Carolina, with nine years as Chief of Police. Over his 30+ year career in law enforcement, Mark has always demonstrated a heart for the community and a belief in the ability to change disadvantaged neighborhoods. Focusing on the neighborhood level, he has worked to improve the quality of life of residents, especially those living in underserved communities.

Mark has built and maintained relationships with community members to increase trust and improve transparency in departmental operations. In his latest role as a police chief in Greenville, North Carolina, he has been responsible for afterschool programs and summer camps through the department’s Police Athletic League (PAL) youth programs. Mark is known to leverage relationships with allied partners in higher education, public health, housing, and other government and law enforcement agencies to implement innovative programs and technological advances to improve the safety of the communities he served.

Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a master’s degree in Public Administration and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. His most recent leadership responsibilities included the management of more than 250 officers and civilian staff in a nationally accredited (CALEA) police department. Mark knows that the success of any organization rests in the quality and character of its people. After a full career in the public safety field, Mark is eager to continue his service to the community as the President & CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain.

The search process was conducted over several months by a BGCCP Search Committee in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s CEO Search Team. I would personally like to thank Boys & Girls Clubs of America for their tremendous support during this process.

For Mark, the BGCCP opportunity is an honor:

“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to continue to work and serve the community both here in Pitt County and across the eastern North Carolina area that we have called home now for the past several years.  Transitioning from public safety into this new role of serving the community through the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain seems like a natural progression of a lifelong professional career in public service.  I look forward to contributing my energy and talents toward an organization whose mission exemplifies what it means to live, work, and serve with purpose.”  

About BGCCP:

The organization began in 1969 as a Boys Club with a very modest operation at the Pitt County Fairgrounds. Since that time, the organization has experienced significant growth in membership, programs, and facilities. In 1992 the Jack Minges Unit was built to accommodate the growing need and to include girls in membership. Additional units have been established in Ayden, Farmville, West Greenville, and north of the Tar River. BGCCP assumed responsibility for the Club in Lenoir County in 2010, two Clubs in Beaufort County in 2013, opened a new Club in November 2013 in Greene County, and now has opened two Clubs in Martin County. In 2017, BGCCP merged with the Boys and Girls Club of Coastal Carolina to add 6 Clubs in Craven and Carteret Counties. Today, more than 3,000 young people are taking advantage of the programs, activities and services provided by our 17 Clubs in 7 contingent counties: Pitt, Lenoir, Beaufort, Greene, Martin, Carteret, and Craven Counties.