Washington State Ferries to start 'international recruitment effort' after leader announces retirement

EDMONDS, Wash. - Washington State Ferries will begin an international recruitment effort for new leadership. Patty Rubstello, who has been head of WSF for nearly three years, is retiring.

Ian Sterling, spokesperson for WSF, said leading the ferry system is a challenging job. He explained Rubstello announced her retirement to staff on Friday. Sterling confirmed Rubstello is stepping down after recently learning she will become a grandmother.

"She’s been a great leader for us, has brought a lot of money to the ferry system, and she’s really proud of the work that she’s done," Sterling said.

Rubstello has been with the Washington State Department of Transportation for more than 30 years. Her announcement to retire comes at a difficult time for the ferry system. WSF continues dealing with ongoing issues with its aging fleet which forces a reduction in services, changes to vessel routes and schedules, among other impacts. The issues, however, predated Rubstello before she became head of the agency in early 2021.

"In the early 2000s, where we didn’t build boats for 10 years-- there just wasn’t money to do that. Ferries lost its dedicated source of funding, so it’s been a real struggle since then. And the can got kicked down the road, and now we’re looking at the results of that where we have an aging fleet and not as many boats as you need," Sterling said.

The ferry system is also experiencing staffing shortages due to a worldwide deficit of mariners, though Sterling said recruiting efforts are beginning to prove effective for WSF.

The Office of Governor Jay Inslee said Washington's ferry system is not the only one in th U.S. trying to address aging fleets and staffing issues.

"We have invested in five new hybrid-electric ferries. The governor’s 2024 supplemental budget proposal funds the hiring of more licensed deck officers and funds 48 additional spots in the AB to Mate program so more ferry workers can fill those spots, and doubles the number of slots available to out-of-state mariners. It also funds additional staffing for each vessel to prevent missed sailing," the governor's office wrote in a statement.

Researchers with Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC) said the maritime and transportation industries worldwide have been hit with staff shortages since pre-pandemic.

"We’re going to see stories like this for the next few years where there’s a lot of expertise that is retiring. And so, it’s really important for agencies to do the best they can to record as much of that knowledge as they can, get people in positions where they can do effective transfer," said said Ryan Avery, interim director of TRAC. 

Some researchers believe lack of support from state officials in previous years was a driving force in the ferry system's deterioration.

"Thinking about maintenance funding is really important and that’s something that’s not always focused on. New projects are exciting, ribbon cuttings, things like that. But sort of the unsexy part of transportation is maintaining the system you have," said Avery.

The WSF spokesperson explained Rubstello will stay at WSF until a successor is hired and cross-trained.

"She’s going to stay here and make sure that person is equipped to take the reins," Sterling said. "And what that means is probably an international recruitment effort to find the next head of Ferries. We’re the biggest ferry system in North America and one of the biggest and busiest in the world. So, we want to make sure we get the right leadership in here."