Mr. H. Daniel Hughes, II

Chairman

Chairman and owner of Diversified Group, Inc. Appointed to the Board: December 2003

Mr. James O. Campbell

 Vice Chairman

President, International Longshoreman's Association Local 3000
Appointed to Board: November 2004

 

Mr. A. J. Gibbs

Secretary - Treasurer

President of the Crescent River Port Pilots’ Association
Appointed to Board: December 2005.

 

Mr. Thomas D. Westfeldt

Board Member

President of Westfeldt Brothers, Inc., Westfeldt Brothers Forwarders, Inc. and Worldwide Service Inc.  Appointed to Board: August 2006.

 

Mr. John F. Fay, Jr.

Board Member

Partner in the civil litigation firm of Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles LLP.  Appointed to the Board: August, 2007

 

Mr. J. Wayne Mumphrey

Board Member

Founder of Mumphrey Law Firm LLC; former Louisiana district court judge for the 34th Judicial District. Appointed to the Board: September, 2007.

 

Ms. Valerie S. Cahill

Board Member

Independent investment banker, licensed general contractor
Appointed to the Board: November 2007


 

Mr. Gary P. LaGrange

President & CEO

Gary LaGrange took leadership of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans in September 2001. A native of South Louisiana, Mr. LaGrange came to New Orleans after serving as Executive Director of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport.

Since LaGrange became the Port President and CEO, the port has opened new state-of-the art facilities. These include the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, which opened in January 2004. The $101 million facility is the most technologically-advanced container terminal in the world. The port also opened its first ever dockside cold storage facility, which has helped New Orleans gain an even larger share of the export poultry market. 

Under Mr. LaGrange’s leadership, the New Orleans cruise industry has experienced phenomenal growth. Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean agreed to homeport vessels in New Orleans. The Erato Street Cruise Terminal and Parking Garage was completed in October 2006. The new $37 million cruise terminal adds a 1000 car parking garage and 90,000 square foot terminal. The Port has also received preliminary funding for another cruise ship terminal at the Poland Avenue Wharves, and will soon begin renovations to its Julia Street cruise terminal.  

Most recently and without question most publicly, Mr. LaGrange worked tenaciously to bring the Port of New Orleans back into operation after the most extensive natural disaster in U.S. history.  A mere two weeks after Hurricane Katrina and with limited resources and personnel, LaGrange’s leadership was instrumental in the triumph of the first container ship call at the Port of New Orleans, despite projections to the contrary.  

 He also testified before the U.S. Senate  Finance Committee on behalf of the Port and the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), expressing the urgent need for funding, tax relief and other assistance to restore the Port of New Orleans and other Gulf ports damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.   

In addition, LaGrange and the U.S. Maritime Administration took the historic step of diverting military ready reserve ships to provide support, housing and supplies to Port and other recovery-related workers, enabling ports to rebound more rapidly after a natural disaster. 

Under his direction, the Port of New Orleans continues to lead the recovery of the economy by bringing the Port back to 100 percent of its pre-Katrina performance in only months after the storm devastation. 

His commitment to the maritime industry is reflected in the numerous leadership positions he has held at state, regional and national levels. He recently served as Chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities, an alliance of 350 ports in the Western Hemisphere. He also serves on the boards of the Gulf Ports Association of the Americas and is past chairman and past president of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association. He is Vice President of the National Waterways Council and serves on the Board of the Waterways Council, Inc. Mr. LaGrange is a devoted advocate of community involvement and his participation in numerous business and civic organizations rival that of his professional commitments. He was named the Maritime Person of the Year by the Propeller Club of New Orleans in 2003 and the Maritime Person of the Year by the Propeller Club of the Port of Gulfport in 2001.   He was recently named the Man of Steel by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS), as well as receiving the Leadership Award for Post Katrina by the International Maritime Association Hall of Fame at the United Nations in New York.  

Mr. LaGrange attended Louisiana State University. He received his B.A. in Geography/Economics from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly University of Southwestern Louisiana). He completed a Master of Arts in Urban Planning, with honors, at USL in 1975. He taught Economic Geography and Urban Planning at the university through its University College.

27 October 2006

Mr. Patrick J. Gallwey

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Theodore "Ted" Knight

Executive Assistant for Operations

Ms. Linda B. Combel

Special Assistant to the President & CEO

Mr. Robert M. Landry

Division Director, Marketing

Mr. Paul Zimmerman

Division Director, Operations

Ms. Deborah D. Keller

Division Director, Port Development

Mr. J. Robert Jumonville

Division Director, Cruise and Tourism

Mr. Gerald O. Gussoni, Jr.

Director, Legal Services, Insurance, Claims, and Risk-Safety

Mr. Jim Ruckert

Director, Finance

Ms. Cynthia Swain

Division Director, Administration

Mr. Joseph G. Cocchiara, Jr.

Division Director, Business Planning & Commercial Development

Mr. J. Michael Orlesh, Jr.

Special Counsel

Mr. Mark P. Williams

Director of Internal Audits

 

Port of New Orleans
P.O. Box 60046 • New Orleans, LA 70160
Phone: 504-522-2551 • FAX: 504-524-4156