The California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA) announced Nov. 7 that Port of Redwood City Executive Director Kristine Zortman has been elected president of the organization.
Zortman, who was previously CAPA’s vice president, was elected to the role by unanimous vote at the organization’s annual meeting. Also during the meeting, Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Officer Mario Cordero was elected vice president and Port of Los Angeles Deputy Executive Director of Stakeholder Engagement David Libatique was elected treasurer.
“For over 80 years, our organization has been at the forefront of the most pressing issues facing our state’s economy and the maritime industry,” Zortman said. “With intense competition from Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, our state must continue to advance policies that will allow California’s supply chain to thrive.”
The Port of Redwood City, which is the seventh largest port in California, is the south San Francisco Bay’s only deep-water seaport. In her role as its executive director, Zortman is responsible for implementing long-range organizational goals and policies.
Zortman’s port experience also includes eight years at the Port of San Diego where she worked on commercial real estate negotiations for cargo and maritime trade growth. She began her career working in the environmental and biological realms for the National Park Service and Heitman Financial, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment management firm.
The California Association of Port Authorities comprises 11 major deepwater port authorities across the state. CAPA member ports are responsible for handling 38% of all containerized imports and 28% of all exports in the U.S. More than a million California jobs and 3 million jobs nationally are linked to trade through member ports, according to the organization.