Port of Vancouver USA Executive Director Larry Paulson announced Tuesday that he will step down in April 2012.
The governing commission for the port announced at same meeting that Paulson, who has held the executive director position since 1999, will be replaced by current port Deputy Executive Director, Todd Coleman.
Paulson informed the port commission of his intention to leave the port in 2010 and a port-hired consultant has been assisting to help fill the post. According to the port, Coleman was an early front-runner in the process.
“We are more than confident that Todd’s the right person to serve as our next executive director,” Board of Commissioners President Brian Wolfe said. “The board has spent more than a year thoughtfully working through a process to determine how we transition leadership of the port in a manner that’s best for the port and the community.”
Joining the port in 2001, Coleman served as director of facilities before being promoted to deputy executive director in 2005. Prior to joining the port, Coleman was a partner in an engineering consulting firm, Coleman & Davido Engineering Consultants, in Estacada, Ore. He also held positions with Oregon companies URS, Inc. and Parametrix, Inc.
Paulson joined the port in 1992, acting as the primary attorney to the port while with the law offices of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. He was named successor to retired Executive Director Byron Hanke in April 1997, and officially took the helm at the port as executive director in January 1999. In January, the port commission approved a 3 percent salary raise based for Paulson based on his 2010 salary of $165,600.
