Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick has been chosen as the Port of San Diego‘s next president and CEO, it was announced Thursday.
The search began in February. His contract will be considered at the Dec. 10 meeting of the the Board of Port Commissioners, and if it is approved, he is set to take over the post in mid-January.
Chadwick joined Carlsbad in January 2018 after leaving the city of San Diego, where he spent five years as the Chief Operating Officer.
“I could not be more thrilled for the opportunity to serve all who live, work, and play on and around the beautiful and vibrant San Diego Bay waterfront,” Chadwick said. “The organization’s environmental leadership is trailblazing, there is incredible growth and transformation in areas that have had little to no public access for decades, and the agency’s focus on building a culture of belonging is something I cannot wait to be a part of.”
He worked for San Diego for 14 years in various roles, following a stint with AFSCME Council 36, Local 127 and eight years in the U.S. Army as an intelligence analyst.
Port board Vice Chair Danielle Moore said that “Scott’s extensive background in city management, government operations, legislative affairs, human resources, labor relations, and the military, coupled with his robust networks across the region and state, position the port for success in the years ahead.”
Chadwick graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He grew up in San Diego County and now resides in Point Loma.
The port accepted the resignation of former president and CEO Joe Stuyvesant in January. He had been on administrative leave for six months prior to his departure, nearly three years after he was hired. A retired port president and CEO, Randa Coniglio, again took the reins while the agency searched for Stuyvesant’s replacement.
The Port oversees nearly 600 employees responsible for the management of more than 14,000 acres of tidelands, bay and beaches along 34 miles of waterfront in Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego.
Carlsbad Mayor Keith Blackburn thanked Chadwick for his work as city manager, saying he “provided steady, professional leadership when our organization needed it most,”
The City Council will meet in closed session to develop interim and long-term plans for filling the city manager position, according to a city statement.
