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Port People: Baltimore, Beaumont

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Baltimore: Governor Hogan Appoints David Richardson to Maryland Port Commission 

Gov. Larry Hogan has appointed David M. Richardson to the Maryland Port Commission (MPC), the seven-member body that establishes policies aimed at improving the competitive position of the Port of Baltimore. Mr. Richardson replaces Peta Richkus who left the commission in December. 

Mr. Richardson is director of governmental affairs for Southwest Airlines. In this position, he serves as Southwest’s chief advocate and principal liaison on Capitol Hill, as well as a senior attorney before several federal government agencies. He has represented Southwest in Washington, D.C., since 2006. He also serves on the board of directors of the BWI Business Partnership.

Prior to joining Southwest, Mr. Richardson was chief of staff at the Maryland Aviation Administration, which owns and operates Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and an attorney at Venable, LLP, in Baltimore. Earlier, he worked for Gov. Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey and before that for Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley of Maryland. As Mrs. Bentley’s aide, he focused on issues pertaining to the commercial maritime industry, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Baltimore.
 
Mr. Richardson has an undergraduate degree from American University, a master’s degree from The George Washington University and a law degree from The Catholic University of America.  

The MPC consists of the Maryland Secretary of Transportation and six commissioners appointed by the governor to terms of three years. The other commissioners are William Dockser, Donald C. Fry, Theodore Venetoulis, Charles H. White Jr., and Rev. Donte Hickman. Pete K. Rahn is the secretary of transportation.

Beaumont Swears in Port Commissioners Darling and Smith

Lee Smith and Bill Darling were sworn in May 18 to new terms as members of the board of commissioners of the Port of Beaumont Navigation District of Jefferson County, Texas. Both were returned to office by local voters in elections held May 9.

Lee Smith has been a port commissioner since 2002 and is now the board’s vice president. A retired office services clerk for Ameripol Synpol Corp., he is active in community affairs, serving as vice president of the Beaumont Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors, president of the North End Neighborhood Association, and service officer of the Dorie E. Miller Post 817 of the American Legion. He is also a member of the NAACP, board member of Beaumont Main Street, trustee of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and member of the Charlton-Pollard Alumni Association. 

Bill Darling was appointed to the port board in September 2013 to complete the term of the late Floy Nell Clark (Advisory, October 7, 2013). That term expired in May, and he ran unopposed in the election.  

He is Capital One Bank's area president for Southeast Texas and manager of commercial banking for Southeast Texas. He has 28 years of banking experience, including 22 with Capital One Bank and its predecessor banks in Beaumont. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Lamar University. He is a member of the board of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and its government and public affairs committee. He is also a member of the board of the Lamar University Alumni Association and a trustee for the City of Beaumont Firefighter's Pension Plan.  

The board consists of six commissioners elected by local voters to terms of six years. The other commissioners are Board President C. A. "Pete" Shelton, Secretary-Treasurer Georgine Guillory, Louis M. Broussard Jr. and Pat Anderson.


Beaumont Port Commissioners Bill Darling (left) and Lee Smith 
Photo/Port of Beaumont
 

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