Bill Marsh Jr. is the newest member of the Northwestern Michigan College board of trustees.

Marsh was one of six applicants to throw his hat in the ring to fill a board seat vacated by Rachel Johnson in January. After interviewing all six candidates at a special meeting held Monday afternoon, the NMC board voted to appoint Marsh to Johnson’s seat. He will now serve on the board until the next regular community college election, which will occur on November 5 of this year. At that point, voters will choose a candidate to serve out the remainder of Johnson’s term, which runs through the end of 2026.

Marsh is best-known locally as a longtime co-owner of the Bill Marsh Auto Group. Marsh and his brothers announced in January that they were selling their three dealerships to Serra Automotive, with the ownership transfer to occur this spring. At the time, the Marsh brothers told The Ticker that they were excited to step back from their lifelong commitments to the auto industry and pursue other things.

Now, Marsh can add “serve as an NMC board member” to that list of new pursuits. Not that active service for the college is exactly new for Marsh: He previously sat for many years as a member of the NMC Foundation board, joining in 2010 and serving in turn as annual fund co-chair, executive committee officer, and ultimately as board chair from 2016 to 2018. In 2020, as the college worked through a new strategic plan, Marsh served as part of the steering community. That same year, he received the NMC Fellow award, the highest honor the college bestows.

“Eschewing the disengagement of traditional retirement, I am excited about the opportunity, after decades of community-minded participation as a business owner, to utilize this next phase of my life to serve in an even greater capacity with more time, energy, and focus,” Marsh said of his appointment to the NMC board.