Peter Frazier has twice been the bridesmaid, and is hopeful that this time he’ll be tapped as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.

But if there is a better person for the job, he wants them to get it and is prepared to work with them. In almost 10 years with RIAC, Frazier has twice filled the role of interim CEO and president as the agency conducts a national search.

That’s happening again with Kelly Frederick’s announcement at the RIAC board meeting last Wednesday night he will leave Rhode Island to assume the role of chief executive officer for the Ontario International Airport Authority in California, based about 35 miles east from Los Angeles. Fredericks’ resignation is effective March 1, 2016.

Frazier, RIAC general counsel and senior vice president, said Friday the agency is already working on a request for proposals to retain a consulting firm to conduct a search for the Rhode Island job. RIAC oversees the state’s five airports, the largest being Green with more than 3.5 million passengers annually.

In an interview Friday, Jonathan Savage, chair of the RIAC board, was upbeat about the future of Green Airport and the agency.

“The airport is moving forward without missing a beat,” he said.

Asked about the qualities of the individual he would like to see replace Fredericks, Savage said he is looking for someone who brings stability, understands the airline industry and is a champion of Green’s marketing efforts.

“We’re looking forward, and that’s important,” he said.

Fredericks – the successor to Kevin Dillon, who went to Bradley Airport outside Hartford, Conn. – stepped on the scene after a contentious decade over the expansion of Green and its impact on Warwick. Dillon scrapped many of the earlier proposals to lengthen Green’s main runway and reconfigure Airport Road. He downsized the extension so as to lengthen the main runway from 7,166 to 8,700 feet, and accomplished that with a proposal to loop Main Avenue around the south end of the runway.

Before leaving Rhode Island, Dillon reached an agreement with the City Council that, among other commitments, relocated the Winslow Park playing fields to RIAC property on the northeast side of the airport in exchange for dropping a legal challenge of the expansion plan.

Fredericks has been faced with fulfilling the work that Dillon lined up, in essence, getting them off the ground. But the challenge has even been greater with the Rhode Island economy in a slump and Green Airport traffic, which hit a high of 5.7 million passengers in 2005, on a slide and the industry focused on maximizing filling seats by using smaller aircraft and eliminating or consolidating service. Last year, passenger traffic totaled 3.5 million, down .02 percent from 2014.

Fredericks has been a consummate cheerleader for Green both at the industry and local levels. During his tenure, there has been some minor growth in overall traffic, and the initiation of scheduled flights to Cape Verde and seasonal flights by Condor Airlines to Frankfurt, Germany. He has also been successful in wooing added domestic service, most notably American Airlines service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport starting April 5.

On the local front, Fredericks meet with neighborhood and municipal officials and made himself accessible. He met regularly with Mayor Scott Avedisian to keep him in the loop on airport developments and progress of airport projects.

“Kelly has served the Rhode Island Airport Corporation well during his tenure as President and CEO. I attribute the strong working relationship between the City and the RIAC in large part to Kelly and his team. Their efforts to listen to the City’s concerns and work cooperatively with us over the years have been paramount to the airport’s rising success,” Avedisian said in a statement.

Frazier said he learned a lot from Fredericks. He said Fredericks is a “constant promoter of the airport” and was aware of the critical role the airport plays in the state’s economy. In terms of managing the RIAC team, Frazier said Fredericks never let job titles hold people back.

In his own case, in addition to being counsel to RIAC, Frazier is senior vice president of engineering and planning. That puts him in charge of overseeing expansion projects, including the runway extension that is to be completed by December 2017.

Frazier points out “you can get anywhere in the world from Green.” The objective, he adds, is to get there more directly.

As for the next RIAC president and CEO, Frazier said he wants to stay in Rhode Island and he would welcome the challenge. But, he added: “We owe it to the state to look around the country and get the best possible player. The pick needs to be in the best interest of the airport. We’ll find the top one to help us.”

Savage offered no timetable to have a new leader in place. He said RIAC is “locked in” with the Federal Aviation Administration on deadlines for construction projects and that the RIAC team has a “focused approach to new market development.”

Asked about financing all the work being done – an issue some airport critics have raised – Savage said: “Financially [RIAC] performs very well. It’s well run with good results and with little surprises.”

Avedisian wished Fredericks success in his new job.

“While we are sad to see him leave, we are excited for his next endeavor as he heads to California. He has served the airport and community well, and we appreciate all the hard work he has put into making TF Green an appealing option for airlines and travelers. We are confident that Peter Frazier will, as always, rise to the occasion of leading the Airport Corporation while a replacement is found,” he said.