MARIETTA — The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority will see new leadership with the appointment of a Warren High School and Marietta College graduate to take over for retiring executive director Jim Black.
Andy Kuhn, 34, is a 2001 graduate of Warren High School and has a bachelors degree from Marietta College and a masters degree in public administration from North Carolina State University. He will return to the Mid-Ohio Valley after having lived and worked in Raleigh, N.C., in both the private sector as an educator and in local government.
“When this opportunity to come back to the area came up, I pursued it thanks to the advice of people I trusted,” he said. “They pushed me to go for it and I think the board was looking for someone with enthusiasm and a different viewpoint, but who was also familiar with the area.”
Kuhn’s immediate past employment history includes serving as assistant to the Board of Commissioners for Wake County in North Carolina, home to Raleigh and part of the “triangle” area of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.
“It’s the second fastest growing county in the U.S. behind the Austin, Texas area,”Kuhn said. “The triangle has just exploded and I would like to pull some things from that playbook to help grow business in southeast Ohio.”
Kuhn said he is optimistic about the “shale gas extraction boom, the momentum surrounding new school construction and increased quality of life attractors,” as well as Ohio’s overall business climate.
Former Executive Director Jim Black announced his retirement in April before his 74th birthday. He was named executive director in October 2014 by the SEOPA Board of Directors, after serving as interim for the post when former director Terry Tamburini retired at the end of 2013.
Black also served on the authority’s board of directors from 2007 until he resigned to take the executive director position in 2014.
Kuhn will take over officially on July 10.
There will be a reception to officially announce the new executive director on July 12 from 4-6 p.m. at the Microtel in Marietta. Guests are asked to RSVP by emailing info@seohioport.com or calling 740-568-1958.
“We are delighted to welcome Andy as the executive director of the port authority,”said authority chairman Steve Keiser. “We advertised through all the channels and he applied. We screened a lot of candidates for this position but Andy pressed all the right buttons. He will be a very good fit because he brings great knowledge and love of Washington County, plus excellent development and government experience from a successful and fast-growing region of the country.”
From Parkersburg News and Sentinel | July 2, 2017
