Noah Karberg Stepping Down As Nantucket Airport Manager

Nantucket Memorial Airport manager Noah Karberg has informed the Airport Commission that he is stepping down from his position, commission chair Arthur Gasbarro announced during Tuesday night's meeting.

“Mr. Karberg has informed us of his intention to move on,” Gasbarro said. “We very much appreciate his service and dedication to the airport. It has been a pleasure working with you in several of your positions over the years. We are certainly going to miss you but appreciate you continuing to work with us through this transition period.”

Gasbarro said he will begin discussions with ADK Executive Search, a firm that will assist the commission with its search for a new airport manager, on Wednesday. ADK is the same search firm that the commission worked with when hiring former airport manager Tom Rafter in April 2012.

“I hope to have a proposal from them for the commission to consider at the September meeting,” Gasbarro said.

Gasbarro told the Current that Karberg's final day on the job has yet to be determined and that as of now, Karberg will be helping with the transition.

"We are going to work on a transition period and he very much wants to leave the airport in good shape," Gasbarro said. "Hopefully we can find somebody. The hard part is of course the housing, the challenges, all of that."

After Rafter announced his retirement from the position in November 2022, Karberg was quickly tapped as his successor and assumed the position on January 1, 2023. Karberg formerly served as the airport’s environmental coordinator for four years and the assistant airport manager for five years.

Before leaving the island, Rafter spoke in detail about the succession plan always being for Karberg to take over the position once he moved on. It prompted a restructuring of the airport hierarchy to add an assistant airport manager position that would allow Karberg to learn under Rafter. When asked if the commission was surprised by Karberg's decision, Gasbarro said yes but added that Karberg needs to do what is best for himself.

"I was completely surprised," Gasbarro said when asked. "It came as a surprise to us, but it is his decision."

The assistant airport manager at the moment is Preston Harimon. He was hired in February of 2023 and has been with the airport as a full-time employee for 20 years.

Karberg did not discuss his resignation with the commission during the meeting. The Current reached out to him for comment and he provided a written statement Tuesday night.

“I am grateful for the support of the Airport Commission and I am proud to have delivered projects that benefit the safety, efficiency, and financial security of the airport," Karberg said. "While I will miss leading a great team at ACK, I am excited to take my career in a different direction and enjoy other personal opportunities.”

This story will be updated.