NEWS FLASH: FMC’s Cordero to become POLB executive director

Federal Maritime Commissioner Mario Cordero will be appointed executive director of the Port of Long Beach, where he served as a harbor commissioner from 2003 to 2011.    The Port of Long Beach said its Board of Harbor Commissioners is expected to vote Friday to name Mario Cordero, a former chairman and current member of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), as the port’s new executive director.
   The port said the Harbor Commission made the decision to name Cordero executive director while meeting in an executive session following its regular board meeting on Monday.
   Cordero, a Long Beach resident and attorney, previously served as president and as a longtime member of the Board of Harbor Commissioners for the nation’s second largest port after the neighboring Port of Los Angeles.
   “After a comprehensive international search, the Board of Harbor Commissioners recognized that Mario Cordero is an ideal choice to lead the Port of Long Beach,” said Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán. “Mario not only has a deep understanding of the maritime industry from his leadership of the Federal Maritime Commission, but his service as a member of the Long Beach Harbor Commission gives him extensive knowledge of the needs of our carriers, terminal operators, cargo owners and other trade partners. Mario approaches challenges from a bipartisan, collaborative perspective, and as we seek to keep our port thriving, his combination of national and local experience is well-suited to carry us into the future.”
   John McLaurin, ‎president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, said, “In addition to Mario’s extensive experience with the international trade community, he is a person of integrity. It will be good to have him back home.”
   “I am so pleased to be coming back home to the Port of Long Beach during this time of dramatic change in the maritime industry,” Cordero noted. “The broad perspective I gained at the national level, along with my many years of service as a Long Beach harbor commissioner and my love for the community of Long Beach, will allow me to hit the ground running. We have a stellar leadership team in place, and I’ll be working closely with the Commission and our highly experienced staff in the months ahead to carry out our ambitious capital improvements and ensure that our customers and community members are well-served.”
   Cordero was appointed to the FMC by President Obama in 2011, and was chairman of the agency from April 2013 until January 2017, when President Obama named Michael Khouri as acting chairman. Cordero’s current appointment at the FMC ends in June 2019.
   Cordero served as a Long Beach harbor commissioner from 2003 to 2011, and the port noted he “helped to spearhead the port’s pioneering Green Port Policy, formalized in 2005 and aimed at reconciling economic growth and environmental stewardship to achieve long-term, sustainable port development.”
   For two of those years, 2007 and 2008, he was president of the Harbor Commission.
   The port said Cordero “has forged relationships with maritime representatives around the world, and he is poised to build consensus as new alliances change the face of the shipping industry.”
   Cordero has practiced law for more than 30 years and has taught political science at Long Beach City College. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach, and his law degree from the University of Santa Clara.
   The Commission will confirm Cordero’s appointment at a special public meeting on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
   Cordero will succeed Duane Kenagy, who has served as Interim Executive Director since Jon Slangerup abruptly announced last September he was leaving the port as chief executive officer the following month. Slangerup, a former Federal Express executive, left the port to become chairman and CEO of Ottawa, Canada-based aviation software developer Mxi Technologies. In January, Mxi was acquired by the Swedish firm Industrial and Financial Systems (IFS).
   Cordero is expected to join the port in May.