At their regular October 10, 2013 meeting, the Port of Orcas Commissioners completed their three-month process in hiring an airport manager to succeed Bea vonTobel, who will retire at the end of this year.
Chair Audrey Wells noted that thirty-two people submitted applications for evaluation by the commission. From that number, five sat for interviews, and at their regular public meeting on the 10th, commissioners discussed those who had been interviewed, and from that discussion came the nomination and subsequent election of Anthony (Tony) Simpson as the port’s next airport manager.
Tony’s education and experience will serve him well in his new position. A native of Delaware, graduate of the USAF Academy, with graduate degrees from the University of Washington and the Naval Postgraduate School, and 20+ years of increasing experience including overseas operations in Afghanistan, Korea and Japan, he will conclude his current position as a technical training expert for Boeing Aerospace Operations based at Misawa Airbase in Japan later this month and return to Orcas Island, where his family resides.
His return to the island completes the circle for his wife, the former Blythe Stephens, and their two children. She is employed in the OASIS program of the Orcas Island School District.
The commissioners will plan to introduce Tony to the community at large at one of their later public meetings. James Reid, Facilities Manager for the port, will continue as a mainstay of the port staff and move forward with the increased responsibilities of his position.
