Cheryl D. Creuzot has been appointed to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority by the City of Houston.

Creuzot is the president and chief executive officer of Wealth Development Strategies, LLC, a position she has held since 2001. The company, which is one of Houston's oldest comprehensive financial planning firms, offers personalized solutions for individuals and business professionals who want to protect, grow and efficiently distribute their wealth.

She is a director at the Greater Houston Partnership and on the board of several organizations, including: The University of Houston Board of Visitors, the University of Houston Foundation and the Board of Visitors of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Creuzot succeeds Theldon Branch III, who has served as a Port Commissioner since 2013.

Stephen H. DonCarlos has been reappointed by the Harris County Mayors and Councils Association as Port Commissioner. He was first appointed in 2013 by the association, which is an organization representing 26 cities in Harris County. DonCarlos chairs the Governance Committee and serves on the Community Relations Committee.

DonCarlos was elected as mayor of Baytown in May 2006 and served in that capacity for more than twelve years. He is an attorney with Reid, Strickland & Gillette, L.L.P.

Wendy Montoya Cloonan was also reappointed to the Port Commission by Harris County Commissioners Court in late January. She was originally appointed to the position in June of 2019, succeeding former Port Commissioner John D. Kennedy, who retired after serving on the commission since December 2012.

Cloonan most recently served as Director of Legal for the Houston Endowment. Before joining the Houston Endowment in 2015, she was an attorney with Andrews Kurth LLP and Vinson & Elkins LLP. On the Port Commission, Mrs. Cloonan serves on the Community Relations Committee, Compensation Committee and Procurement and Small Business Task Force.

Port Commissioners are responsible for providing guidance to the Port Houston executive team and enacting appropriate policies to ensure that the Port continues to lead as an economic engine for the region, state and nation. These policies can involve adopting plans, such as Port Houston’s new strategic plan adopted earlier this year. Other Commission responsibilities include approving the purchasing or disposing of real estate and other property, setting rates and adopting budgets.

Learn more about the Port Commission here: https://porthouston.com/leadership/the-port-commission/.

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Caption: Port Commissioner Wendy Montoya Cloonan and her family with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Wendy Montoya Cloonan was appointed to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority June 4 by the Harris County Commissioners Court. Mrs. Cloonan was sworn in as Port Commissioner June 19 by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo along with Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia in attendance as well as her family and friends.

Professionally, Cloonan currently serves as Director of Legal for Houston Endowment. Before joining Houston Endowment in 2015, she was an attorney with Andrews Kurth LLP and Vinson & Elkins LLP. Houston Endowment is a private foundation that partners with others in the nonprofit, public and private sectors to improve quality of life for the residents of greater Houston.

Her additional community work includes interviewing students for her university alma mater, Yale University, and serving as the PTO President of her children’s elementary school.

Port Chairman Ric Campo welcomed Cloonan to the Port Commission remarking, “her professional expertise and commitment to the community will provide a great benefit as we work together to increase jobs and generate more economic impact to the region through the Houston Ship Channel.” As part of the swearing in ceremony, Cloonan held a meet and greet with Port Houston employees at the port’s executive office building.

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Dean E. Corgey has been reappointed to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority in February by the Houston City Council. He serves on the port’s Pension and Benefits Committee.

He has been vice president of the Seafarers International Union (SIU), and has been responsible for the Gulf Coast region since 1990. He supervises SIU activities ranging from Charleston, South Carolina, to Brownsville, Texas. Corgey oversees a staff of 25 representatives and administrative assistants while representing 7,500 members.

Corgey is also a trustee for the Seafarers Pension Plan, Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan, Joint Employment Fund, Training/Safety Fund and Transportation Institute.

A graduate of Houston’s Milby High School, Corgey attended Southwest Texas State University. He graduated from an apprentice program at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Maryland, earning a chief engineer’s license.

Port Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.

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Caption: Port Commissioners Clyde Fitzgerald and Roy D. Mease

Clyde Fitzgerald and Roy D. Mease have been reappointed to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority.

Fitzgerald was reappointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court. He serves on the Port Authority’s Audit committee and chairs the Pension and Benefits Committee.

He is a veteran of the Port of Houston and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), and is a member of the ILA’s Executive Council.

Mease was reappointed to the Port Commission by the Pasadena City Council. An active member of the community, Mease serves on the port’s Procurement and Small Business Task Force.

He was chairman of the Pasadena Second Century Corporation, which is the city’s economic development entity and helped Pasadena earn the annual Community Economic Development Award for 2013, awarded by the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC).

Port Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.

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Houston businessman Ric Campo was recently appointed chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority by the City of Houston and Harris County Commissioners Court.

Campo, chairman and CEO of Camden Property Trust, replaces Janiece Longoria, whose third and final term as chairman ended Feb. 1. She has served on the Port Commission since 2002. Port Commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.

Campo said he was honored and humbled to be considered for the position.

“The best is yet to come for our region, and our port will help drive us into a bright future,” Campo said.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo presided over the meeting, which was held at Port Houston’s executive offices. By state statute, the Port Commission chair is appointed by the governing bodies of the City of Houston and Harris County Commissioners Court in a joint session.

At the January Port Commission meeting, Chairman Longoria symbolically passed the gavel and the organization in excellent standing, along with her appreciation and support to the newly appointed Port Commission Chairman.

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Port Commission Chairman Janiece Longoria was recognized for her 16 years of service to Port Houston during the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority’s last regular monthly meeting of 2018, which was held Dec. 12. Chairman Longoria has volunteered on the Port Commission since 2002.

She has served in the position of Chairman since she was unanimously appointed by the governing bodies of the City of Houston and Harris County Commissioners Court in a joint session held January 2013. Her six-year term ends in January of 2019.

Actions taken by the Port Commission Wednesday were consistent with Chairman Longoria’s priority to seek continuous support for improvement and maintenance of the Houston Ship Channel. The commission unanimously authorized the Executive Director to negotiate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an agreed recommendation to identify and pursue one or more alternatives for the federal feasibility study for improvements to the Houston Ship Channel.

Executive Director Roger Guenther was one of many to praise Chairman Longoria’s leadership. She received several resolutions and expressions of gratitude from elected officials including a video tribute with comments from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, state Senator-Elect Carol Alvarado, and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, among others.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick also expressed their appreciation for her service. Texas State Rep. Mary Ann Perez presented a resolution from the State of Texas, and District H Houston City Councilmember Karla Cisneros read a proclamation from the City of Houston.

“It has been my great honor to serve as Port Commission Chairman for the past six years,” said Chairman Longoria in response to the accolades and ovations received throughout the meeting.

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Port Chairman Janiece Longoria was honored with a Hispanic Hero Award by Comcast Sept. 21.

Comcast paid tribute to individuals from the Houston Hispanic community who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment in making a difference in the areas of volunteerism, mentorship, advocacy and civic engagement. The event also recognized Hispanic Heritage Month.

The 2018 honorees were judged on criteria that included their personal impact in the community, helping further the mission of a nonprofit organization and overcoming personal obstacles.

Longoria has served as chairman of the Port of Houston Authority, the leading economic engine for the greater Houston region, since she was unanimously appointed by the City of Houston and Harris County in January 2013. She has received numerous honors and recognitions since becoming a port commissioner in 2002.

Port Houston owns and operates eight public terminals in the greater Port of Houston. The port is the nation’s no. 1 port for foreign waterborne tonnage and is an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the nation. 

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Port Houston moved 1.3 million container TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) through the first six months of 2018, a six percent increase from 2017, Executive Director Roger Guenther announced in his report to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority in its regular monthly meeting in July.

Guenther also noted that Bayport Container Terminal recorded the largest number of single-vessel container box lifts in Port Houston’s history, with more than 4,800 lifts performed during one vessel operation. The historic performance involved a ship from one of Port Houston’s East Asian services (a 6,400 TEU-class vessel) that regularly calls at the port.

“This vessel would not have called Port Houston facilities without the expansion of the Panama Canal,” Guenther said. “We were able to handle this business due to the investments we have made in deepening and widening the Bayport channel, as well as investments in the equipment capable of handling this class of ship.”

“This historic operational performance eclipsed the previous record by 650 moves on one ship,” Guenther added. “This very productive rate was due to the diligent efforts of Port Houston operations personnel, our stevedoring partners and the labor we rely on each day.”

Port Houston operating revenues of $179 million set two monthly records during the first half of 2018; a revenue record was set in March and then was broken again in May, with revenue reaching more than $32 million. Guenther also reported that each sector of Port Houston’s business experienced revenue growth in the first six months, led by volume increases in its container business.

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The amount of cargo handled at Port Houston was up 7 percent through the first two months of 2018, signaling another strong year, Executive Director Roger Guenther announced at the March Port Commission meeting.  

Through February, Port Houston terminals handled 6.1 million tons of cargo, which Guenther called an encouraging start for this year.

“We are off and running, a quarter of the way through another busy year, and port facilities are seeing tremendous activity and delivering solid results,” Guenther told attendees at the meeting.

Those results include a noteworthy uptick in steel imports, which were up 17 percent in January and February. Although steel tariffs went into effect in mid-March, exemptions have been granted for many countries that import steel, and steel volumes at Port Houston continue to look strong.

Container activity is up nearly 1 percent for the first two months, despite being compared to 2017, a year where substantial container volume increases were recorded. While container exports have been less than expected so far, the increased production of resins resulting from the expansion of facilities along the Houston Ship Channel is beginning to materialize and an upward trend is anticipated for the remainder of the year.

Port Houston in 2017 was the fastest-growing of the top 10 container ports in the United States, based on PIERS data.

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John D. Kennedy was reappointed to the Port Commission by the Harris County Commissioners Court Feb. 27. He was originally appointed to the Port Commission in December of 2012.

Kennedy is chairman of the Port Commission’s Procurement and Small Business Development Task Force and serves on the Governance Committee. He also represents the port on the Board of the Bay Area Houston Economics Partnership.

Kennedy retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army after 27 years of military service focusing on logistics, leadership, and management. Following his military career, he served as City Manager of the City of Nassau Bay, Texas for more than ten years.

As City Manager of Nassau Bay, Mr. Kennedy was the city’s Chief Executive Officer for more than ten years.  He focused on rehabilitation of the city’s aging infrastructure and attracting quality redevelopment in the city’s commercial areas.

Port commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.  

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