Four months after the negotiated exit of its CEO, the Port of San Diego is officially on the hunt for its next istrative leader.
The agency began publicly advertising for the president and chief executive officer position on Friday. The job posting says the port is seeking a “diplomat” and “expert facilitator” who can lead a large staff, work alongside hundreds of waterfront tenants, report to a seven-member board and address the needs of its five member cities.
For the work, which is often a delicate balance of appeasing stakeholders who sometimes clash over warring priorities, the next CEO will be paid between $350,000 and $425,000 a year, with no-cost health insurance and other benefits, according to the listing.
“We are looking for someone who takes a people-first approach because people and our relationships make the Port of San Diego what it is,” said Frank Urtasun, who chairs the Board of Port Commissioners. “We serve people and we deliver on our promises to the people of the San Diego region and the state. Our next president and CEO will be someone who inspires us all to do our best work for everyone who lives, works and plays on and around San Diego Bay.”
The port is seeking to fill the position with help from executive recruiter Blair Search Partners. The San Diego-based firm, led by Trevor Blair, was selected in February and has thus far been working to gather input from stakeholders, a spokesperson for the agency said. The board reviewed and approved the job listing before it was posted, the spokesperson said.
Blair Search Partners is being paid a flat fee of $70,000 for its work, and up to $30,000 more for expenses.
Formed by the state in 1962, the San Diego Unified Port District is a special district that spans 34 miles of coastline in five member cities: San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado. The agency acts as both regulator and landlord for the waterfront real estate surrounding San Diego Bay.
The port has a portfolio of 800 tenants, oversees two maritime cargo terminals and two cruise ship terminals, and runs its own police department. The port currently has a staff of 573 people, but it is budgeted to grow its workforce to 620 people.
The special district is governed by the Board of Port Commissioners, which is also responsible for hiring and firing top istrative executives, including the CEO. The board’s seven commissioners are appointed by their member cities — three commissioners are appointed by the city of San Diego and one commissioner is appointed by each of the other four cities.
The job bulletin for the CEO post emphasizes that applicants should have great people skills, be capable of advancing the agency’s interests at state and federal levels, and come with ample experience leading large organizations.
“This is an incredible time to the port, as we have several exciting new infrastructure projects currently under construction, with many more funded and breaking ground soon,” the listing states. “This includes the massive Chula Vista Bayfront redevelopment, electrification and modernization of the port’s cargo terminals, the Central Embarcadero waterfront development, and major environmental enhancements around the bay.”
The CEO search comes as the agency looks to move beyond a particularly tumultuous period that started in July, when the board placed its then-CEO Joe Stuyvesant on paid istrative leave. Stuyvesant agreed to resign in January. The board has never publicly discussed the reason for the executive’s forced leave of absence. Randa Coniglio, who retired from the agency in 2020, was brought back by the board to serve as acting president and CEO, and continues in the position.
Amid the Stuyvesant ordeal, the port has faced other challenges, including fallout from a 2023 San Diego County Grand Jury report critical of the agency’s power. The report spawned, in part, a proposed reform bill, AB 2783, that is currently advancing in the state Legislature, as well as an ongoing oversight tussle with the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission.
And the board’s October censure of now-former Commissioner Sandy Naranjo, not only complicated the agency’s relationship with her member city, National City, but created visible tension on the dais and caused the reputation of the agency’s top lawyer to be called into question. National City voted to oust Naranjo as its commissioner earlier this month.
Adding to the turbulence, longtime Port Commissioner Rafael Castellanos quietly expressed interest in the chief executive post during Stuyvesant’s leave. Castellanos resigned from the board in January to focus on his work as a commercial real estate attorney. When reached for comment, he told the Union-Tribune that he is not seeking the CEO position.
“(The next CEO) should know San Diego, should know the operations of how the port works … and also know the outside community,” said Sharon Cloward, who runs San Diego Working Waterfront and represents the business interests of port tenants. “Rafael, hands down, knows the port, knows all the cities. He could do the job and staff loves him.”
Cloward said she communicated as much to Blair, the recruiter, but also thinks that board might shy away from considering the ex-commissioner to avoid additional drama.
Bigger picture, she wants a chief executive who can move beyond the many political distractions and rebuild the agency’s relationships with its tenants. And the port, Cloward said, is making a considerable effort to find the right person.
“In 35 years of being around the port, I have never seen this much outreach being done,” she said.
