Connecticut Port Authority Executive Director John Henshaw, the man hired in 2020 to lead and stabilize the quasi-public agency, is leaving next month.

He submitted his resignation and will work through April 21, offering to stay on to provide assistance in the transition.

Henshaw, in a statement, said he is returning to Maine to pursue other opportunities. From 2007 to 2017, he served as the executive director of the Maine Port Authority. He said he was satisfied with his work to garner permits for the $235 million State Pier Infrastructure Improvements Project in New London along with funding for a New Haven Navigation Improvement Project.

“It has been a great honor to work on these important maritime projects on behalf of the people of Connecticut,” Henshaw said. “I very much appreciate the support of the port authority’s Board and the Lamont Administration in achieving these important milestones.”

Henshaw said he has family in Maine and maintained his home there since moving to Connecticut. He said he is likely to stay in the maritime industry but has not decided yet on his next move. He plans to continue his tenure as chair of the Board of Advisors of the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives.

Connecticut Port Authority board Chairman David Kooris, who recently was tapped by Gov. Ned Lamont to serve another four-year term on the board, said the board is happy with Henshaw’s accomplishments.

“I think he is ready to move on,” Kooris said.

The board plans to hold a special meeting on March 22 to discuss the next steps in replacing Henshaw, and is likely to look to hire an interim director during its search. Kooris said he was confident that the momentum on the State Pier project will continue and day-to-day operations will not be impacted, especially with the continuing guidance of the state Office of Policy and Management and Department of Administrative Services.

Lamont in 2019 tasked OPM with oversight of the port authority’s finances and procurement activities through a memorandum of understanding with the authority.

The state became involved in port authority matters in the wake of past scandals that included the departures in 2019 of former board Chairman Bonnie Reemsnyder and Executive Director Evan Matthews. Matthews had been placed on leave and later resigned as the port authority came under scrutiny for alleged financial mismanagement. The episode led to an audit of port authority finances, as well as hearings before the state legislature. The authority’s past procurement activities recently were criticized by the state Contracting Standards Board.

“The Connecticut Port Authority is in a different place than a few years ago, and it’s something in which our entire state should take pride,” Lamont said in a statement Tuesday.

“The CPA in recent years has helped to reshape the conversation surrounding what a State Pier could be and has helped to unleash its potential as it will be at the center of our efforts to produce offshore wind energy," Lamont said. "I am thankful for the leadership John Henshaw provided to help move the CPA in this direction, and we will miss his contributions.”

Acting OPM Secretary Jeffrey Beckham said in a statement: “OPM continues to consult with the staff of the Authority on their financial management and controls and will be assisting the Authority in on-boarding a new executive director and finance director.”

“We wish John (Henshaw) well in his next endeavor, and are grateful for his service,” acting state Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle H. Gilman said. “In conjunction with OPM, we will continue to provide quality construction and technical support to the State Pier project.”

Kooris’ nomination to the port authority board of directors was approved last week by the General Assembly’s Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and will be voted on later by the full General Assembly. State Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, and Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, voted against the appointment.

Somers said there remain many questions about “ethical standards and accountability at the Port Authority,” such as the handling of Freedom of Information Act requests and issuance of success fees to a company hired by the authority.

“I continue to have concerns about the lack of deference that has been shown by the Port Authority toward our state watchdog agency: the State Contracting Standards Board. Plus, we have the ongoing FBI investigation of the Lamont administration’s involvement in the State Pier project, as well as the ballooning taxpayer-funded State Pier price tag. These questions and concerns led to my ‘no’ vote,” Somers said in an emailed statement.

The Connecticut Port Authority’s board votes on a chairman and vice chairman later this year.

Kooris joined the port authority in 2019 as an ex-officio designee of the commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development and in his capacity as deputy commissioner of the DECD. He later was chosen as vice chairman by the board and took over as acting chairman in 2019 when Reemsnyder left.

After leaving the DECD in January 2020, Kooris was appointed by Lamont to fill a vacant spot left by a departing port authority member and was voted its chairman by the board. He also has served as chairman of the board’s finance, human resources, and audit and compliance committees. He announced last year he was looking to transition out of some of those roles and now serves as the co-chair of the finance committee.

“For the last 22 months, as a volunteer, I have dedicated substantial time and energy to advancing the governor’s objectives to rebuild public trust in the Port Authority,” he testified last week.

“Despite some people’s opinions, I think we’ve made a ton of progress over the past couple of years,” he said Tuesday.

Kooris said he is open to remaining chairman of the board but that is a decision for his peers.

g.smith@theday.com