The Port of Chehalis on Thursday named the three finalists under consideration to replace outgoing port CEO Randy Mueller, who’s moving down south to lead the Port of Ridgefield.
The three candidates include a city services director for a coastal Texas city, a senior director of trade and transportation for a state ports association, and a current Port of Chehalis employee.
Closed-door interviews will take place over the coming weeks with port Commissioners Mark Giffey, Paul Ericson and Mark Anders. The candidates will also be invited to an interview with a board-selected community panel.
The board hopes to have their decision on a candidate made and negotiations finalized prior to the Oct. 14 board meeting, with the candidate expected to start by Dec. 1.
More than two dozen candidates were considered for the Port of Chehalis’s top job, with Aug. 31 being the deadline for applications. The board held an executive session this past Tuesday to consider the first round of candidates, Mueller said.
Jessica Carpenter (Port Lavaca, Texas)
Jessica Carpenter, of Port Lavaca, Texas, currently works as the development services director for the City of Port Lavaca, according to the Port of Chehalis.
She’s also previously worked as the head of Island County’s planning department and worked in finance for the Washington state Department of Transportation, according to an article from the Whidbey News-Times. She’s also worked for the City of Midland, Texas.
Carpenter holds a master’s of business administration from California State University of Monterey Bay and a bachelor’s in science in environmental science and regional planning from Washington State University.
Christopher Herman (Tenino)
Christopher Herman, of Tenino, currently serves as the senior director of trade and transportation for the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA), a Legislature-established, port-coordinating agency which promotes commerce and port interests.
According to a biography on WPPA’s website, Herman has more than 20 years of supply chain and logistics experience in the agriculture, petrochemical, energy and direct-to-consumer retail sectors.
Herman also worked for WSDOT for a time leading freight rail planning and policy, and also oversaw its associated grants and loan programs.
He’s also worked for Starbucks and Minnesota-based Cargill Inc., one of the U.S.’s largest privately-operated food conglomerates. Herman holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Arizona State University.
Lindsey Senter (Chehalis)
Lindsey Senter, of Chehalis, currently serves as the director of operations and administration for the Port of Chehalis. She’s served in the position for the last two years, according to her LinkedIn profile.
According to the port, she’s also previously worked at the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, Lewis Economic Development Council and for her own marketing business, Vulcan Creative, which specializes in web design, social media consultation and software development.
She’s also served as the treasurer for the Lewis County Community Trails Association and as a board member on the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team. She also recently unsuccessfully applied to fill a vacant seat on the Chehalis City Council.
A member of the Lewis County Young Professionals, Senter holds an associate’s degree in administration from Centralia College and is currently completing a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance.
