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Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation has selected a finalist in the search for a new leader.

The board this week approved a person for the position of CEO following a brief executive session.

The next step is for the finalist to accept the contract with final approval to come from the Port Arthur City Council.

The finalist, whose name is not being released at this time, is from Texas.

A total of 18 applied for the job, and that number was narrowed down to seven.

Members of the search committee — Jerry LaBove, Beverly Raymond and Christopher Smith — then had the seven applicants to choose from. That group of candidates was narrowed down to two before deciding on the finalist.

“We’re looking forward to working with him.” Raymond said after the meeting was concluded.

The EDC board is looking for a new leader to replace the previous CEO, Jessica Carpenter, who tendered her resignation effective May 4 after approximately two months at the job.

She took over the position that was vacated by Floyd Batiste, who was with the organization for 17 years.

Earlier this year Next Move Group was chosen as the search firm to aid the corporation in finding CEO prospects. A job profile was compiled by the search firm and approved by the EDC search committee.

The profile was advertised, and recruitment done by the search firm took more than four weeks from July through August. The application deadline was Aug. 5.