Port NOLA Names Beth Ann Branch President & CEO
The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) Board of Commissioners has announced the appointment of Beth Ann Branch as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2024. Branch, a highly regarded expert in global maritime strategy with over 20 years of experience in transportation and logistics, will also serve as CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB). She succeeds Ronald Wendel Jr., who has been serving as Acting President and CEO during a crucial transitional phase, advancing significant projects such as the $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal."After a comprehensive
Port of New Orleans CEO Brandy Christian to Step Down
on February 1, 2018, during which time Port NOLA increased operating revenues by 70% and NOPB increased operating income by 300%."We cannot overstate the exemplary leadership that Brandy Christian has provided throughout her tenure," said Walter Leger, Jr., Chairman of the Port NOLA Board of Commissioners and the NOPB Commission. "Under Christian's guidance, Port NOLA has navigated through profound challenges and achieved remarkable successes. Chief among those successes is the leadership team that Christian has assembled and nurtured to carry Port NOLA and NOPB forward. Through her
Port of New Orleans Board Elects Jensen as Chairman
Rhe Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) on Thursday elected Jack C. Jensen, Jr. to serve as Board Chairman, succeeding Charles H. Ponstein, whose term as Chairman ended this month. Also elected were Joseph F. Toomy, who will serve as Vice Chairman, and Walter J. Leger, Jr., who will serve as Secretary-Treasurer for the nine-month term.“Jack Jensen has brought decades of transportation and logistics experience to this board, and we look forward to his valuable contributions as chairman as we work to expand freight-based business throughout Port NOLA’s three-parish
Esteban Guerra Named BND Commission Chairman
Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Commissioner Esteban Guerra was unanimously appointed to serve as chairman of the BND Board of Commissioners during the board’s regular meeting held Wednesday, May 18, 2022.Guerra serves as chairman alongside BND Vice Chairman Ralph Cowen and BND Secretary of the Board John Wood, also unanimously appointed to serve as part of the executive board. Commissioners John Reed and Sergio Tito Lopez round out the board as assistant secretaries.Wood, Commissioner Place 2, and Guerra, Commissioner Place 4, were re-elected to the board in the BND election on May 7.
Port of Gulfport Names Nass CEO
The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) Board of Commissioners has named Jon Nass the new CEO and executive director of the Port of Gulfport, following a national search led by Tim McNamara, head of Odgers Berndtson’s Transportation and Infrastructure Practice in Washington, D.C. His tentative start date is June 1.“After nearly an eight-month process, the MSPA Commission is very pleased to announce we have selected a new executive director to lead the Port of Gulfport team,” said MSPA President E.J. Roberts. “Jon’s extensive background includes port management,
Port of Palm Beach Training Employees on Human Trafficking Prevention
help thwart both forms of human trafficking by teaching seaport employees to properly spot the warning signs of human trafficking and what they can do if they witness a potential human trafficking incident.The training is called Ports to Freedom, and it was unanimously approved by the port's board of commissioners during a regular board meeting on January 21. It is said to be the first online, video-based training program specifically designed for the maritime industry. The Port of Palm Beach is the third seaport in the United States to begin using this new human trafficking prevention training.&ldquo
Walker Named to Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board
The Duluth City Council last week appointed Tyrone Walker to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners. Walker, an ironworker with Lakehead Constructors and Ironworkers Local 512, succeeds Norm Voorhees, whose final term on the board concluded in early October. Walker’s appointment to the Port Authority board runs through October 10, 2026.Raised in Chicago, Walker relocated to Duluth in 2015 after earning his welding certification. Since then, he has worked on multiple welding and steel-fitting projects throughout the Twin Ports. He recently completed his Local 512 apprenticeshi
Bergeron to be Honored
marine manufacturing and service firm with up to 1,400 employees, the largest reported inland river barge contract in U.S. maritime history at $58 million, with shipyards and services in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Venezuela. Bergeron previously served as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans. Bergeron has also received honors such as the Governor’s Lantern Award presented by former Governor Dave Treen as well as special recognition from former Alabama Governor Fob James for construction of the most modern barge-building plant in the United States
Ponstein Appointed on Port of New Orleans Board
Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Charles H. Ponstein to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans as the St. Bernard Parish representative on the seven-member regional board. Ponstein was sworn in during today’s monthly Board meeting and will serve a five-year term succeeding William T. Bergeron. With the Port’s acquisition of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad effective Feb. 1, 2018, Port Commissioners also serve as directors of the New Orleans Public Belt board, Ponstein will become NOPB’s newest director with this appointment. “Charles Ponstein
Port NOLA Chairman Receives Leadership Award
Michael W. Kearney, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, was named recipient of the 2017 Diolkos Award at the 7th Annual Rail Supply Chain Summit in Chicago on June 14, 2017. The Diolkos Award recognizes an individual with outstanding vision and leadership within the supply chain who equally has contributed to his community. The award is named after Ancient Greece’s Diolkos Wagonway, the world’s first supply chain and earliest known form of rail transport, which facilitated the transfer of heavy cargo from sea, over land, to the sea. &ldq
Cowes Harbour Seeks Harbour Commisioner
of varied backgrounds and experience to help increase diversity on the Board. Candidates should demonstrate enthusiasm, commitment and local knowledge, and have an interest in public service. The following skills and experience have been identified as being beneficial to the current Board of Commissioners, but should not be considered prescriptive: strategic communications, marketing, HR and personnel, environmental. Further information and an application form are available online. Applications are welcomed up to and including Friday, 3rd March 2017. The appointment
Christian Heads New Orleans Port as President & CEO
The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans has announced that, effective Jan. 1, 2017, Brandy D. Christian has begun service as the Port’s president and chief executive officer following her two-year tenure as its chief operating officer. “Brandy is an experienced maritime professional with a strategic mindset and clear focus on actionable goals,” said Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners Michael Kearney. “The Board’s competitive national search for a COO was part of an executive succession plan. We had hoped the successful candidate would
