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The Connecticut Port Authority has named Michael J. O’Connor, who recently retired as a vice president of Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power Station in Waterford, as its new executive director.
The Port Authority announced its decision during a board of directors meeting Tuesday.
O’Connor retired from Dominion Energy, which operates the state’s only utility-scale nuclear power plant, in November.
He worked for Dominion in roles that included senior reactor operator, operations shift manager, nuclear operations manager, director of nuclear station safety and licensing, and plant manager. He became vice president in 2022.
“This is an exciting time for the Connecticut Port Authority with (the) State Pier fully operational as an offshore wind hub and one of the most advanced maritime facilities on the East Coast,”
O’Connor said.
He added that revenue generated from the offshore wind industry’s use of the State Pier in New London will enable the Port Authority “to broaden its investments in the state’s maritime infrastructure.”
O’Connor has experience in public finance and is familiar with local and state leaders, which will “be of great value to the Port Authority,” said Paul Whitescarver, chairman of the Port Authority’s board.
One of O’Connor’s first tasks will be to hire a maritime development manager. The position has been open since the resignation of Eric Dussault, who was hired in June but went back to his former employer, American Cruise Lines.
O’Connor has served as chairman of the town of Bozrah’s Board of Finance since 1995 and is a former member of the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority Executive Board. He is also vice chairman of the Mitchell College Board of Trustees.
O’Connor, a Navy veteran, has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Haven and an MBA from the UConn School of Business.
He succeeds Ulysses Hammond, who for two years served as the Port Authority's executive director on an interim basis, after the previous executive director, John Henshaw, resigned.
The Port Authority, a quasi-public agency that oversees ports in Bridgeport, New Haven and New London, has faced significant public scrutiny in recent years.
In February, a four-year investigation into the maritime agency by Attorney General William Tong's office came to an end, finding ethical violations but no evidence of broader illegal conduct.
During the previous legislative session, Gov. Ned Lamont proposed merging the Port Authority with the state Airport Authority, but the plan was dropped.
This month, a report by the State Auditors found the Port Authority had purchasing discrepancies for its third audit in a row, including "several internal control deficiencies."
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