Established in January 2000, MTSNAC is attached to the DOT's Maritime Administration (MARAD) and its appointed members are selected from leaders in the shipping, logistics and transportation industry and labor. The panel is charged with advising the DOT Secretary, through MARAD, on current and future matters relating to the national Marine Transportation System – waterways, ports, and their intermodal connections. The MTSNAC is tasked with addressing, according to the DOT, "strategies to ensure a safe, environmentally sound, and secure MTS that improves the global competitiveness and national security of the United States; issues and concerns raised by marine transportation industry; and other matters at the Secretary’s request."
LaHood said he would specifically task the new members of the MTSNAC panel with developing recommendations on establishing new marine highway services and port infrastructure development, among other issues.
"Shifting some of our freight from the highways to open inland waterways is a fuel-efficient, cost-effective way to move goods and reduce roadway congestion," Secretary LaHood said in a statement. "The recommendations developed by the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council will help us increase transportation efficiency, improve the environment and grow the economy."
MARAD Administrator David Matsuda also praised the diversity of the new panel members and their experience. "These maritime experts have a lot to contribute," he said. "I look forward to their advice as we tackle the industry's most pressing challenges."
The new MTSNAC members are:
- John Baker, President of the Great Lakes District Council, ILA, Cleveland, OH
- Mark Barker, President, Interlake Steamship Company, Richfield, OH
- Omar Benjamin, Executive Director, Port of Oakland, Oakland, CA
- Jerry A. Bridges, Executive Director, Virginia Port Authority, Norfolk, VA
- Timothy L. Byrd, Director, Global Logistics, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, DE
- Alice Cheng, President, Cheng Solutions, LLC, Brooklyn, NY
- Genevieve Boehm Clifton, Manager, Office of Maritime Resources, New Jersey DOT, Trenton, NJ
- Thomas B. Crowley, Jr., President and CEO, Crowley Maritime Corp., Oakland, CA
- Judith A. Druskovich, Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Traverse City, MI
- Sarah Dunham, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, US EPA, Washington, DC
- Gary Gallegos, Executive Director, San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego, CA
- Fred Harris, President, NASSCO, General Dynamics, San Diego, CA
- John Kaltenstein, Marine Program Manager, Friends of the Earth, San Francisco, CA
- Rick Larrabee, Director, Port Commerce Department, Port of New York/New Jersey, New York, NY
- Mark Locker, Administrator, Office of Maritime and Freight Mobility, Ohio DOT, Columbus, OH
- James Lyons, Director and CEO, Alabama State Port Authority, Mobile, AL
- Joseph M. Mabry, Exec. VP of Logistics and Distribution, Lowe’s Companies, Inc., Mooresville, NC
- Ron Mitchum, Exec. Director, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, Charleston, SC
- David Moseley, Asst. Secretary, Washington State DOT, Ferries Division, Seattle, WA
- Michelle Noble, International Trade Ops Leader for N.America, Proctor and Gamble, Cincinnati, OH
- Adolph Ojard, Executive Director, Port of Duluth, Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Duluth, MN
- John Parrott, President, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc., Federal Way, WA
- Craig Philip, President and CEO, Ingram Barge Lines, Nashville, TN
- Jeffrey Platt, CEO, Tidewater Marine, New Orleans, Louisiana
- James R. (Randy) Richardson, Executive Director, Port of Memphis, Memphis, TN
- Thomas J. Simmers, President and CEO, Ceres Terminals, Inc., East Brunswick, NJ
- Faye Stewart, President, Faye Stewart Transportation Services LLC, Glendale, AZ
- Augustin Tellez, Exec. VP, Seafarers International Union of North America, Camp Springs, MD
- Margaret Vaughan, Representative, US Exporters Competitive Maritime Council, Houston, TX
