Alexandra Smith is named executive director of the Port of Olympia
Alexandra Smith, who previously worked at the Port of Olympia, was named its executive director on Tuesday following a second round of interviews with Port commissioners.
Smith and the other finalist, Mike Reid, the city of Olympia’s economic development director, were interviewed for about 90 minutes before the commission emerged from executive session to announce its decision.
Smith currently works for the state Department of Natural Resources, but she served as the port’s environmental programs director under former executive director Ed Galligan. Galligan was replaced by Sam Gibboney, who parted ways with the port in September.
Smith could not immediately be reached for comment after the announcement.
Bob Iyall, president of the Port commission, said Smith’s environmental background and her management experience, including managing larger staffs, worked in her favor. He also called her previous work at the port commendable.
Iyall said it wasn’t an easy decision for the commission and that there was a fair amount of deliberating before they arrived at a unanimous decision.
The port’s HR director and legal counsel will now negotiate a contract with Smith.
“We want to get her on board and transitioned as soon as possible,” Iyall said.
Commissioner Amy Evans Harding called it a bright day for the port.
“I’m so excited for a steadfast, strategic leader to turn the page for our staff and our community,” she said.
Commissioner Jasmine Vasavada said they were impressed with Smith’s knowledge of how to work through politically sensitive natural resource issues, particularly when the port is about to embark on a clean up of Budd Inlet.
Vasavada acknowledged that Smith’s previous tenure at the port wasn’t without its challenges. Smith led the design effort for a marine terminal stormwater treatment plant that ultimately leaked and forced an evacuation, but that project was still recognized as innovative, Vasavada said.
“She has the skills to help operationalize the port’s goal of becoming a model for environmental sustainability among the nation’s mid-size ports,” she said.
More than 30 people applied for the executive director’s job, which was then cut to a group of 15 and finally four finalists. All four participated in a public reception on Feb. 5 and panel interviews on Feb. 6. The commission then decided to re-interview Smith and Reid before making a decision.
Records request
The Olympian has filed a records request related to the hiring of the new executive director. A first installment of those records shows the questions that were asked by commissioners and a second panel of community representatives on Feb. 6.
Both groups asked around 16 questions.
Here are some of them:
▪ Excluding the Chamber, the Economic Development Council, and our jurisdictional partners, which organizations would you invite to a meeting to craft a proposal for a new hotel on the waterfront?
▪ At this stage in your career, it’s most likely that you have experienced some form of professional scar tissue — an incident with another staff member that left you “wounded.” When disagreements occur and you feel unheard or not respected, how do you respond and move toward resolution and collaboration?
▪ What do you see as the role of the Commission and what would you hope for from the five-member Commission in supporting your success?
▪ Transparency and accountability are essential in public organizations such as the Port of Olympia. How would you ensure transparency in decision-making processes and hold both yourself and the team accountable for results?
▪ The Executive Director supervises a team of highly qualified and educated directors. At a management meeting, a director disagrees with your request and is overtly rude about your direction. When something like this occurs, how do you respond and turn it into a positive outcome?
▪ What would you hope to accomplish 60, 90 and 180 days from your hire that would demonstrate your successful leadership?
This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 6:01 PM.
