Former North Tahoe Fire Protection District Chief Duane Whitelaw will serve as the North Tahoe Public Utility District’s new general manager, beating out more than 130 applicants.
The NTPUD board of directors voted unanimously during a special meeting Wednesday to hire Whitelaw as the district’s new general manager and CEO, replacing Paul Schultz, who was let go by the district in November. Schultz is currently the district’s assistant general manager.
“Here we had 132 applicants and the best candidate was in our backyard,” said board president Lane Lewis of Whitelaw. “We felt he was the most qualified. He knows all the players in the area. He can just jump right in.”
Lewis said the 132 applicants were whittled down to 12 by a committee and then the board chose to interview five applicants on Fri., Feb. 13. Although Whitelaw has no experience in operations of sewer and water, Lewis said he meets other requirements that the board was looking for, mainly someone who can interact with the community.
“We felt that was not an absolute necessity,” Lewis said of the lack of his operations experience, noting that the district already has a qualified chief engineer in place. “He’s the best fit for this community … We had five outstanding candidates and Duane just hit it out of the park in the interview.”
Whitelaw’s hiring is pending a background check and contract details, but the board expects him to start around March 1, Lewis said. Interim CEO Larry Marple will return to his position as chief financial officer.
Whitelaw, who has lived in Tahoe Vista since 1985, served as the district’s parks and recreation director from 1985 to 1991. He began serving as chief of the Tahoe City Fire District in 1991. When the North Tahoe and Tahoe City fire districts merged in 1993, Whitelaw became head of the consolidated district and served as its only chief until his retirement in 2012.
He holds bachelors and masters degrees in recreation administration with a focus on public administration and planning from Chico State.
Whitelaw said he intends to reach out to the district’s employees, as well as its constituents, to ensure the district has the tools its needs to be successful.
“I feel more capable in leading as opposed to managing current programs,” Whitelaw said. “I really want to be a part of what I think is a successful organization and take it to the next level.”
