The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is looking for a new executive director because its current one isn't returning to the job.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak, the airport board chairman, confirmed Friday the board decided to look for Carl Beardsley Jr.’s replacement after a recent executive session. Chermak said director of engineering Stephen Mykulyn has been named interim executive director.
“Steve is the right guy to do it,” Chermak said.
Reached on his cellphone Friday afternoon, Beardsley declined to comment.
Beardsley on leave
Beardsley, the executive director for more than a decade, took a sabbatical leave in November. At the time, airport co-solicitor Don Frederickson said he couldn’t explain why Beardsley took the leave because he couldn’t discuss “personnel and health issues.”
“They’re not trying to get rid of him or anything like that,” Frederickson said then. “They like Carl. The intent is he’s going to come back.”
Chermak also declined to discuss why Beardsley won’t return, citing privacy rights, but said it became clear the airport must move on.
“We all love Carl, that’s not the issue,” Chermak said. “We certainly don't want to harm Carl ... We love the guy, and he did a super job as the director. But, you know, unfortunately, we're at this position where we have to ... focus on the airport.”
Chermak said the airport will conduct a nationwide search for a replacement.
Beardsley's record tenure
Beardsley replaced 25-year director Barry Centini in January 2015 and led the airport to record-breaking departure numbers. From August 2018 until February 2020, the airport broke departure records in 17 of 19 months. The streak ended in March 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, 296,632 travelers boarded commercial airlines departing the airport, still its annual record. The airport had 259,490 departing passengers last year, its fourth best performance ever and best since the pandemic.
Its monthly totals have declined compared to the same month a year earlier in five of the last six months. Airport officials have cited the fall federal shutdown and snow cancellations as the chief reasons.
Mykulyn 'even-keeled'
Chermak praised Mykulyn.
“They all look up to Steve,” Chermak said of airport employees. “I specifically chose Steve because of his knowledge of the airport. He's been there for a long time ... as an engineer. And as a consultant, he was there even before he was an employee, so he's been part of the airport for a long time. He's a really good person. He's even-keeled.”
BJ Teichman, who started working as the assistant executive director last year, will remain as Mykulyn’s assistant, Chermak said.
“She continues to a good job there, and the same thing with the rest of the staff,” he said.
In a statement a county spokesman issued, Teichman says it was a "privilege and honor to serve as temporary acting director” and thanked the board "for the trust and confidence that they instilled in her in this role." She said she supports Mykulyn with "great pleasure."
Mykulyn, a 16-year airport employee, said he hesitated to take the job but decided he could help the airport until a new director is hired.
He’s unsure if he will apply to keep the job permanently, and does not expect to make changes as interim director, he said.
“I view my role as just basically keeping us on a steady course until we have the new leadership in place or the determination is made what they're going to do in that role,” Mykulyn said.
