PORT TOWNSEND — Nicole Gauthier, who started as a dispatcher at Jefferson Transit five years ago, has been named interim general manager of an agency providing bus service across the North Olympic Peninsula.

Gauthier, until now the fixed-route operations manager, steps in as general manager Tammi Rubert retires this month.

The Jefferson Transit Authority Board, in a special meeting this week, selected Gauthier for the interim post while hiring GMP Consulting to recruit a permanent general manager. The search firm will be paid $18,000 to $23,000 to find Rubert’s successor.

“After 30 years of public service, it’s time to retire and spend time with my parents,” Rubert said in early March.

Gauthier is taking the helm of the transit agency that runs buses in east and west Jefferson County as well as routes to Sequim, Poulsbo and, since February, the Kingston Express connecting with ferries to Edmonds and Seattle.

All routes except Kingston have been fare-free since the start of the pandemic and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

“I love that this agency provides such vital services to the community, and I love that I’m part of this team that, especially in the last two years, really stepped up when the community needed it,” Gauthier said in an interview.

“Every single employee pulled together to maintain service and expand service” with the Kingston Express, which departs Port Townsend twice a day Monday through Saturday.

Gauthier said she appreciates receiving feedback from the community: “What they like, what they don’t like, what we could be doing better.”

She added that she has signed a contract to serve as interim manager for six months with the possibility of a 90-day extension. The annual salary for the interim post is $102,216.

Gauthier also said she intends to apply for the permanent job. The advertised salary range for general manager is $90,491 to $122,160, according to finance manager Sara Crouch.

Crouch is also resigning in May.

During Tuesday’s transit board meeting, Rubert reported that Crouch is training Miranda Nash, Jefferson Transit’s mobility operations manager, to serve in the finance department until a permanent finance manager is found.

Heidi Eisenhour, who serves on the transit board as part of her duties as a Jefferson County commissioner, made a point of thanking Gauthier for moving into the interim general manager position, “and really approaching the whole process with grace and a lot of courage … this is a big step,” she said.

“We’re all looking forward to supporting you in the months ahead and the years ahead.”

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Jefferson County Senior Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz @peninsuladailynews.com.