Personnel: Palm Beach, Port Manatee, Virginia

Port of Palm Beach Executive Director Manuel Almira has been elected to a second term as chairman of the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development (FSTED) Council. Dave Sanford, interim chief of staff at Port Manatee, has accepted appointment to the National of Academies of Science Marine Board. John Reinhart is the new executive director and chief executive officer of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA).

The chief executives of Florida’s deepwater seaports have elected Port of Palm Beach Executive Director Manuel Almira chairman of the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development (FSTED) Council for a second term.

The FSTED Council, which was created by the state legislature in 1990 to form a partnership between the State of Florida and its seaports, is a division of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Its membership consists of a representative of both FDOT and the Department of Economic Opportunity, as well as the directors of Florida’s 15 deepwater seaports.

The council facilitates funding for capital improvement projects at the state’s publically-owned seaports. It solicits requests for state grant funds from each port annually and approves the project requests each port’s project.

The program specifies port facility and port transportation project requirements. State funding requires a matching contribution by the beneficiary port of 25 or 50 percent, depending on the project.

Mr. Almira has been executive director of the Port of Palm Beach since 2008 and before that was employed at Port Everglades for 15 years. He has also held management positions with T. Babun Shipping, Sealand, Crowley American Transport Lines and United States Lines.

This year he earned AAPA’s Professional Port Manager (PPM®) certification in 2013. His PPM® paper focused on the feasibility and implementation of an inland port distribution center in South Florida. He holds a business of administration degree in marketing/advertising from Bernard Baruch College, City University of New York.

Dave Sanford, interim chief of staff at Port Manatee, has been named to the National Academies of Science Marine Board, a Washington-based maritime advisory group. He has accepted an appointment to a three-year term on the Marine Board, beginning November 1.

Mr. Sanford brings to the board more than 40 years of maritime industry experience, including as director of navigation policy and legislation at the American Association of Port Authorities and in several senior executive capacities with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including as chief of civil works policy and chief of the Interagency and International Services Division. He also served as water resources adviser to U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., during Sen. Moynihan’s term as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Formed in 1965, the Marine Board is an internationally recognized source of expertise on maritime transportation and marine engineering and technology. The board became part of the Transportation Research Board in 1999. In response to requests from sponsoring agencies or on its own initiative, the Marine Board serves the national interest by providing evaluations and advice concerning the ability of the nation’s marine and maritime industries to operate safely, efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner.

John Reinhart is the new executive director and chief executive officer of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). The announcement was made by the VPA’s Board of Commissioners in a special meeting on October 31.

Mr. Reinhart will be the fourth person to hold the lead role at the VPA since the state’s Hampton Roads container terminals were unified under The Port of Virginia flag in 1982. He takes over for Rodney W. Oliver, PPM®, the agency’s chief financial officer, who has held the position on an interim basis since September 2012.

Mr. Reinhart’s appointment was affirmed through a resolution that was passed unanimously by the VPA board. His effective date will be in February 2014.

"After months of exhaustive searching, I am supremely confident that we have found an experienced, inspirational leader who is well-equipped to guide The Port of Virginia to its best days," said Board Chairman Jeff Wassmer. "John’s professional accomplishments make him a strong choice, but it is his vision for the future of The Port of Virginia that is truly exciting. We are eager to move forward together."

Mr. Reinhart brings more brings more than 20 years of diverse maritime experience to the Virginia Port Authority. In 1991, he joined Maersk Inc. in human resources. One year later, he joined Universal Maritime Services (UMS), an affiliated company, where he was general manager of maintenance and repair, general manager of operations and eventually president of UMS.

In 1996, he returned to Maersk Inc. as a regional director and then as senior vice president. During this period, he was responsible for commercial activities of the company, including sales, customer service and marketing for North America.

Mr. Reinhart was named chief executive officer of Maersk Line, Limited (MLL), headquartered in Norfolk, in 2000 and awarded the concurrent title of president in 2004. He has also been a member of MLL’s Board of Directors for the last 14 years.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ohio University and an MBA from the University of Michigan in 1997.

"We would be remiss today in failing to acknowledge the outstanding service of Rodney Oliver," said Mr. Wassmer. "For the last 13 months, Rodney served ably as interim executive director and he will continue in that vital role until John Reinhart comes onboard in February 2014. Rodney brought stability and solid leadership to the VPA, overseeing a period of robust and sustained growth."