Julie Lam, who has been instrumental in the Port of Oakland’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the port’s new chief financial officer, it was announced Friday.
Lam, who joined the port eight years ago as its controller, has been serving as acting CFO for the last 10 months. She will be tasked with overseeing the port’s accounting, budgeting, management of finances, human resources, risk management, purchasing and enterprise resource planning.
Lam molded two major efforts to help the port weather the pandemic, including an initiative to refinance a $544 million bond, a move that slashed interest costs by $87 million. She also helped offset revenue losses through a port-wide austerity program.
“Julie has been central to our efforts at overcoming the economic effects of coronavirus,” said Port Executive Director Danny Wan. “She’s a strategic thinker who’ll play a critical role in helping us plan the post-pandemic future.”
Before joining the port, Lam was an accounting and treasury manager for M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. Lam graduated from the University of San Francisco with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with an emphasis in accounting and a minor in economics.
