PORT ANGELES — Port of Port Angeles Executive Director Ken O’Hollaren has announced he will step down Dec. 31.
He cited being closer to his grandchildren and an opportunity in the private sector as his reasons for leaving the port.
O’Hollaren and his wife, Denise, plan to make their new home in Clark County in 2016.
He made his announcement at the end of Monday’s regular port commission meeting, according to a news release.
O’Hollaren joined the port as the interim executive director on Aug. 6, 2013, and then was hired by the commission as the permanent executive director April 1, 2014.
With more than three decades of public port experience, O’Hollaren was the longest-serving executive director in the state while at the Port of Longview before retiring in 2012 and then accepting the position in Port Angeles the following year.
“It’s been a privilege to serve the port as executive director and particularly to work alongside an exceptionally capable staff. My successor will have the good fortune of having that same privilege,” O’Hollaren said in the news release.
The commission will lay out a process for hiring a new executive director in the weeks ahead.
The port’s deputy director, Karen Goschen, will serve as interim executive director during the transition period.
“Ken’s leadership, his dedication to our mission and his unwavering passion for doing what is right helped set the stage for our next level of success. Ken brought a sense of perspective that allowed our staff and commission to work collaboratively on addressing today’s issues and preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities,” said Port Commission President Jim Hallett.
“Our community is a better place thanks to Ken. His grandkids are lucky, and all of us at the port wish Ken the very best.”