The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority hoped to have a new executive director to right its ship by early summer. But as fall approaches, the board is three months late on the timeline its board leader originally laid out and still deliberating over who will take the helm.

The board approved Gloria Cordes Larson to take over the agency on a temporary basis in December 2023, after its previous executive director left amid controversy. At the time, Board Chair Emme Handy said Larson would serve in the role for six months.

More than nine months later — and following a renewal of Larson’s interim contract — the board is still searching for someone to take on the executive director job.

The quasi-public agency responsible for an $845 million economic impact in the Boston and Springfield areas has been struggling with its public image over the last few years as issues have come to light related to racial discrimination, an allegedly opaque process of handling of state-owned land, and a new state audit that claims it “cherry-picked when it was convenient or not convenient” to follow state law and internal policies related to public records, procurement and settlement agreements.

The executive director job comes with a $250,000 to $320,000 salary, per a job post by contracted search firm Koya Partners.

Former Executive Director David Gibbons made $388,607 in 2023, before he quit last November. Gibbons left shortly after Boston law firm Prince Lobel Tye published an investigation into claims of racial discrimination at the authority, and amid rumors swirling around the process of selecting a developer for state-owned land in South Boston without the full knowledge of the board.

The search firm’s job posting for the position makes a point of emphasizing that “a key aspect of this role will be establishing and executing forward-thinking plans, objectives, and policies that prioritize inclusivity and equity, gaining approval from the MCCA Board.”

Minutes from an April meeting of the executive committee tasked with finding a new director describe five qualifications that MCCA employees said they’d like their new leader to have: “1) have a passion for the MCCA’s mission; 2) have strong leadership qualities; 3) have strong relationship building skills including championing diversity, equity and inclusion; and 4) have the ability to think strategically, and 5) have knowledge of the trade and hospitality industry as well knowledge of Boston.”

That same document adds, “They expect to have an Executive Director in July.” On July 10, the committee met for two hours and extended Larson’s contract.

The publicly available documents do not say when her contract was extended until, or how much she will be making during that time. How much she has already made in the first eight months leading the agency is also not publicly available.