Port of Olympia executive director is on medical leave, official says
Port of Olympia Executive Director Sam Gibboney was not at Monday’s Port Commission meeting because she is on medical leave, a port spokeswoman said.
Joy Johnston said her leave took effect Monday, June 5, and runs through early July. She also made clear that Gibboney is still the port’s executive director and no commission action resulted in her leave. In early April, Commissioner Amy Evans Harding attempted to put her on administrative leave.
In Gibboney’s absence, longtime port employee Rudy Rudolph is the acting executive director, Johnston said.
“People are entitled to their medical leave,” said Commissioner Joe Downing about Gibboney’s situation after Monday’s meeting.
The commission did not discuss her medical leave during the Monday meeting, but her absence will be felt.
Commissioner Evans Harding asked Rudolph about the state of work flow at the port.
“Is it reasonable to expect things to keep moving forward at the same pace, or should things take a pause?” she asked. “What’s a reasonable expectation?”
Some things are going to have to change, he said.
“In terms of Sam’s absence, you have lost a 60-hours-per-week, high-level executive employee, and the amount of workload that was absorbed there is going to be distributed, and there are just going to have to be some changes made,” Rudolph said.
Gibboney has been executive director at the port since late 2018. She replaced longtime executive director Ed Galligan.
This story was originally published June 6, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
