The IOSA Board of Directors would like to share with the community the news that IOSA’s Executive Director Tony Parkin is stepping back from the position at the end of May. Current Board Member Paul Hamdorf has graciously agreed to serve as IOSA’s Interim Executive Director and will oversee operations until the position is filled. He has resigned from IOSA's Board and will officially take over as Executive Director as of June 1st.
Tony came to the islands from Alaska at the beginning of 2021, and his energy and experience has been instrumental in helping IOSA grow and mature as an organization.
Highlighting the difficulty of his decision, Parkin explains, “Sometimes life throws you a surprise and you need to make changes, but I’m stepping back with tremendous appreciation for the mission and future of IOSA and for the incredible islanders I’ve had the pleasure of knowing since being here. My family and I will continue to call the islands home, and I look forward to being an active IOSA volunteer for many years to come”
IOSA Board President J Havner from Lopez Island reflects the thinking of the entire Board when expressing his appreciation, “Tony came to IOSA, rolled up his sleeves, and accomplished an enormous amount of work in a short amount of time. The organization is going to benefit tremendously from the foundation he has built.”
As the incoming Interim Executive Director, San Juan Island resident Paul Hamdorf brings an entire career’s worth of spill response experience. Paul retired as a senior spill responder from the State of California’s Office and Spill Prevention and Response, and has been doing contract work in spill response management since leaving public service.
Paul expresses his gratitude for the opportunity, "I've been so fortunate to be involved with IOSA over the last couple of years, and am very much looking forward to the challenges ahead of us as an organization. My approach is low-key and patient, even in times of crisis. I'm eager to dig into the nuts and bolts of IOSA."
Hamdorf went on to highlight that one of his first goals is to connect directly with existing volunteers and identify a core group of islanders interested in getting involved with hauling boom, responding to spills, and maintaining response equipment. If you are current with your 8 or 24 hour HAZWOPER certification, up for some physical labor and working outside, and would like to put some time in on occasion over the months ahead, please reach out to Paul directly at paulh@iosaonline.org.
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