Personnel: Belledune, New York/New Jersey, Metro Vancouver

Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt on October 8 announced the appointment of Danika Keeley to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Belledune Port Authority.

As a representative and franchise developer at Dixie Lee (Maritimes) Ltd. in Campbellton (NB) for the past 14 years, Ms. Keeley has provided support for franchisees, including training, supervising, developing marketing plans and negotiating national supply contracts. Previously, she was complaints administrator at ABTCO (Louisiana Pacific) in East River (NS), where she assessed product complaints, performed field inspections and coordinated quality control specialists.

The port authority’ s board of directors consists of seven members – one each appointed by the Governor in Council – upon nomination by the federal transport minister, the Village of Belledune and the Province of New Brunswick; and four appointed by the Governor in Council upon nomination by the transport minister as representatives of port users. Directors serve terms of three years, may serve no more than three consecutive terms and are compensated for their services as port authority board members.

Under the leadership of its first-ever chief security officer (CSO), the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on October 8 unveiled a new command structure to lead the nearly 1,600-member Port Authority Police Department (PAPD).

During a ceremony in Jersey City, Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne announced the internal promotions of existing PAPD personnel and the hiring of highly qualified police personnel from outside departments. The new PAPD command structure includes the promotion of two female officers to assistant chief – the highest rank ever achieved by a female officer in the department’s history.

The port authority says that the addition of high-ranking staff will result in cost savings and efficiencies through better supervision of police personnel and overtime at the agency’s facilities. It also believes the increase in supervisory personnel will enable the PAPD to be more proactive and enhance coordination with directors at the various facilities.

In total, 54 PAPD officers were promoted to ranks ranging from assistant chief to detective and 10 officers were hired from major police agencies in the region to fill other top positions in the department.

Two female PAPD police inspectors, Gloria Frank and Norma Hardy, were promoted to the rank of assistant chief. Assistant Chief Frank was previously the commanding officer at the World Trade Center site and is a recent FBI Academy graduate. Assistant Chief Hardy is a Medal of Valor recipient for acts of courage during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Both began their careers as PAPD officers and rose through the ranks.

Also promoted to assistant chief were Michael Guarnieri, a 29-year PAPD veteran and the former commanding officer at JFK Airport, and Steven Rotolo, a 15-year PAPD veteran and former commanding officer at the seaport and the Staten Island Bridges.

Canada’s Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Transport and the Port Users Nominating Committee, has reappointed Eugene Kwan and Marcella Szel to the Port Metro Vancouver Board of Directors to a second three-year term that expires September 25, 2016.

Mr. Kwan chairs the board’s Major Capital Projects Committee and sits on its Governance Committee. He is president and chief executive officer of Agincourt Capital Corporation, a privately held investment company. Previously, he was a senior executive with the Hutchison Whampoa Group and a managing partner of the Hong Kong office of Stikeman Elliott LLP. He is also the proprietor of Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery. He holds a law degree from the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Ms. Szel is the port authority’s board vice chair, chairs its Human Resources & Compensation Committee and sits on its Audit Committee. A former senior vice president of sales and marketing for CP Rail, she is now a director of both Translink and the Global Transportation Hub. She is also former chair of the Western Transportation Advisory Committee, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Alberta Economic Development Authority. Ms. Szel holds BA and law degrees from the University of Alberta. She was named one of Canada's Top 25 General Counsels in 2003.

The 11-member port authority board includes one member each representing the Canadian federal government, the Vancouver municipal government, the province of British Columbia and the Prairie Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and seven members appointed by the federal government on the recommendation of port users.