JAXPORT Board Offers CEO Post to Juan Kuryla

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The board of directors of the Jacksonville Port Authority on April 23 unanimously voted to offer the position of JAXPORT chief executive officer to long-time maritime and public agency executive Juan Kuryla, PPM®. Mr. Kuryla accepted the board’s invitation to enter into contract negotiations immediately. 

Mr. Kuryla is currently deputy port director of PortMiami, where he has worked since May 1998 in positions of increasing responsibility. Previously, he was employed by other Miami-Dade County government entities, including public works, finance and the county manager’s office.  

He holds BBA and MBA degrees from Florida International University. He also earned AAPA’s Professional Port Manager (PPM®) certification. His PPM® paper, Pros and Cons of Long Term Agreements with Large Volume Customers at Ports, is posted on the AAPA website. He now sits on the AAPA Curriculum Committee.

The board’s standing audit committee will now conduct contract development and negotiations, with the full board giving final approval upon successful completion of an employment agreement. 

The offer to Mr. Kuryla followed a four-month national executive search to fill the position, vacated in January when Paul Anderson left JAXPORT to become Tampa Port Authority director.