Steve Nevey, a career mariner, will serve as Washington State Ferries Division assistant secretary, effective March 16.
WSF is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Nevey replaces Patty Rubstello who resigned.
“Nevey brings a wealth of experience to Washington State Ferries from a maritime career spanning more than two decades aboard large tankers, ferries and private craft to shoreside operations for Holland America,” Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar said. “Since day one joining Washington State Ferries in 2021, he has worked tirelessly with his team and WSF leadership to find workable solutions to our staffing shortages and vessel-related maintenance and preservation challenges to ensure better service and reliability in the long term for the users of our WSF system. I look forward to working with him in the future and also want to thank Patty Rubstello for her service to all Washingtonians across a career in public service with WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) for over 30 years.”
After high school, Nevey attended a maritime academy in the United Kingdom. He worked for a ferry system in Scotland before moving to Seattle in 2008 where he held senior positions with Holland America Group.
Nevey received the Governor’s Award for Leadership in Management in 2023.