Exec who landed major deals for Richland is suspended pending investigation
Diahann Howard, the executive director who led the Port of Benton as it established itself as an energy hub, inland port and future home of a carbon-free fertilizer plant and data center, was suspended with pay Wednesday.
The port’s newly-constituted commission made the decision at its first meeting of the year.
Scott Keller and Lori Stevens, joined by newly-elected Commissioner Bill O’Neill, voted unanimously to suspend Howard pending an investigation. It did not give a reason for the investigation.
O’Neill, who was selected to serve as the commission’s president, will oversee the port, including appointing an interim executive director.
The move caps several years of tension between Howard, who was initially hired by Keller when he was its executive director, to serve as the port’s economic development director.
After Keller abruptly retired in 2019., Howard was tapped to succeed him.
Keller returned to the port in 2024 after winning a spot on the port’s commission in 2023 following a campaign that criticized port leadership.
The port released a news release Thursday indicating it would not comment further after initially deferring a request by the Tri-City Herald for a statement on Wednesday.
Howard, reached briefly in her office, did not comment on the vote.
Also on Wednesday, the commission voted to delay publicly releasing an investigative report on alleged misconduct involving the Richland Airport and more, which it received in December. It said it would take the matter up at its regular business meeting on Jan. 14.
It’s unclear if the report is related to the 2025 discovery that airplane hangars at the port-owned Richland Airport were illegally connected to the city’s water system without meters. One of the affected hangars is owned by Keller, who purchased it in 2017 while he was still the port’s top executive.
In May, port staff met privately with Keller and asked him to work with the city to install a meter for his hangar at 2049 Butler Loop.
The Tri-City Herald has requested under the Washington Public Records Act a copy of the latest investigation, which was prepared by an outside law firm.
The move to suspend Howard comes after a string of economic development wins for the port.
Notably, Atlas Agro selected it for its first-ever carbon-free fertilizer plant. The Pacific Green Fertilizer Plant is expected to cost about $1.5 billion to build. The company has a deal to purchase property for its plant near the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Atlas Agro has a separate deal with the city of Richland for a neighboring site, where it aims to develop a $500 million data center.
The port and partners, including the city of Richland, are branding the region as a center for clean energy manufacturing and creating a shipping and warehousing hub referred to as an inland port.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 11:39 AM.