Submitted by the Port of Friday Harbor

Todd Nicholson has been hired as the new Port of Friday Harbor executive director, after evaluating more than 35 applications from around the country.

“It would be hard to overstate how excited I am about joining the community of Friday Harbor,” said Nicholson, who starts on July 5.

Nicholson graduated from Tillamook High School in Oregon. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, graduating with honors and earning a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering. He served in the infantry of the United States Army as a platoon leader, executive officer and operations officer.

Upon returning home to the Northwest in 1991, Nicholson created and managed a land surveying and development company until joining the Bonneville Power Administration in 2009. At BPA, he served as the acquisition surveying supervisor and the manager of the civil engineering department.

He is a passionate advocate for building effective community partnerships, economic development and empowering staff. Todd is an avid sailor and fisherman. He and his son are excited about becoming active members of Friday Harbor.

“For over 30 years I’ve been coming to the San Juan Islands and this has always been the place that feels like home to me,” said Nicholson. “I anticipate the most rewarding aspect of this position will be working with the port staff in partnership with the broader community. I am looking forward to the intentional and consistent community engagement.”

“I would like to thank Phyllis Johnson for having the courage to lead the port during a difficult period. She along with the port leadership team have been exceptional over the past months and have set the stage for what I believe is an exciting path forward for the port and community.”

The port commission and staff look forward to working with Todd to engage the community in strategic planning and moving the organization forward.