Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is going to need a “do-over” on its effort to land a new president.

The Aquarium leaders thought they had a new hire completed, but at the last minute, he decided not to relocate here.

Now, Aquarium spokeswoman Cindy Hanson says the goal will be to find a good fundraiser who knows Oregon.

Cindy Hanson:  "Strong in development skills, and someone who is familiar with the environment here - the rest can be learned. People can learn fairly quickly about the animals that live here."

Hanson says the Aquarium hopes to run an expedited search, focused on candidates in the Northwest.

Officials have an interim president, but they want a permanent replacement within three months.

The Newport facility’s last president helped the Aquarium recover from financial troubles earlier this decade, but he accepted a similar job in Columbus, Ohio.