New Steamship General Manager Earns High Marks, And A Raise, From Board Of Governors

The Steamship Authority Board of Governors emerged from a closed-door executive session Tuesday afternoon with some good news for general manager Alex Kryska.

The new boss of the Steamship Authority, in just his seventh month on the job, was awarded a sizable raise. Kryska's salary was increased from $225,000 per year to $251,513 annually, a nearly 12 percent bump. It was awarded by the five-member Board of Governors following a public evaluation of Kryska's first months on the job in which he received glowing reviews. The six-month review was among the stipulations in Kryska's initial employment agreement with the Steamship.

"I think Alex is doing great," said Rob Ranney, Nantucket's representative on the Board of Governors. "He came in during a pivotal transitional period and dove right in headfirst. He's listening. He's absorbing. He's asking good questions. He's meeting stakeholders, engaging with the public, figuring things out, all while staying humble and recognizing that he does not know everything. This is important. He uses the word 'we' as in 'we will figure that out. We are listening. We can do better. We are all in the same boat.' And when appropriate, he also uses the word 'I' as in 'I will get the answer. I am responsible for that. I will get that done.' At the same time, he's still new. He's fresh and optimistic, and so far, he's still saying things like 'this is fun,' or 'I'm enjoying this,' or 'I accept the challenge.' He apparently has not been scared away and is actively embracing his position. Alex is exceeding expectations at this point, for me, anyway. Sounds like for everybody else so far. He's also been here for only six months. Hopefully, the novelty will not wear off. I give Alex a 90 percent."

The board's vote to increase Kryska's compensation was unanimous.

The raise was also something that Kryska had specifically asked for. In his self-evaluation submitted to the board, he specifically compared the compensation structure he agreed to in his initial contract versus the money still being paid to his predecessor, Bob Davis, who remains employed by the Steamship Authority as an advisor.

"I want to address my compensation directly as part of this evaluation," Kryska wrote. "I came into this role at a starting salary of $225,000. My predecessor, who served as General Manager with the same title and full scope of responsibility, was compensated at $239,400, a rate he continues to receive in his current role as Senior Advisor, prior to any annual adjustment. I want to be clear that I appreciate the Senior Advisor role and recognize the commitment and value he has provided to the Authority throughout his career and in his current capacity. I raise this not as a complaint, but as a straightforward and material point of comparison...Given that my predecessor’s full-time GM compensation exceeds my current salary, and that I am now performing the full scope of that role while he is not, I believe it is appropriate for the Board to consider adjusting my salary to at least parity with his former General Manager compensation. I would further ask the Board to consider whether an adjustment beyond parity is warranted in recognition of the scope of responsibility I now carry."

Kryska left his job as the chief operating officer of PROP in San Francisco, CA, a private maritime transportation company that operates high-speed ferries in the San Francisco Bay area and Puget Sound, to take the job as the head of the Steamship Authority in December 2025. He was one of two finalists for the Steamship’s leadership post, along with Mark H. Amundsen, the SSA's current chief operating officer.

After graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, Kryska started his career as a ship broker in California, and also served as a tanker manager for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command in San Francisco. Kryska had stints working for an aviation security company, serving as its director of operations and business services, as well as in consulting, and with a private education company that wrote standardized tests. His maritime career includes roles with the “Ride the Ducks” company, which operated amphibious vehicle tours, and, for the past eight years, with Prop, where he worked his way up to chief of operations.

"I would say I am still having fun," Kryska told the Board of Governors on Tuesday. "I'm definitely thoroughly enjoying it. There are huge challenges that we still face. I'm still learning every day from everybody. There was a phrase I heard a couple years ago that if you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together, and that's something I really want to take to heart with this team. There are great people that I work with in Falmouth on the boats, in every location that we have, and it's definitely a team effort. So I just want to thank everybody that I work with for helping me, for guiding me, for giving me advice, and I'll be leaning on you, and I hope you lean on me in the next, I think I've got two and a half years left on my contract - so you've got me for a while."