The Port Commission of The Port of Houston Authority appointed Leonard D. Waterworth as Executive Director of the Port Authority at its regular monthly meeting yesterday.
Waterworth was appointed interim executive director Jan. 30, 2012.
Port Commission Chairman James T. Edmonds said that the Port Authority is fortunate to have someone with Waterworth’s unique background to help guide the organization, build on its many successes, and carry out the important mission of economic development and job creation for the region and state.
“When the need to search for an executive director arose five months ago, we were fortunate in that we didn’t have to look far to find the right fit, ” Edmonds said. “I don’t think we could have found anybody in the nation better suited for this position.”
The Port Authority felt a sense of urgency to fill the top position in an expeditious manner because of the many priorities on the near horizon, Edmonds said. Key Port Authority initiatives range from the widening and deepening of the Bayport Ship Channel to the modernizing of facilities to better serve bigger vessels and expanded Panama Canal trade to improvements coming out of the Sunset Review process.
Waterworth said he looks forward to serving the port and embraces the challenges of the job. “I can’t tell you how proud and humbled I am to be part of this pivotal time in the port’s history with our centennial on the horizon,” Waterworth said. “There are so many opportunities ahead as we forge another century of progress.”
The Port of Houston is a critically important economic engine for the region and nation, generating more than 785,000 direct and indirect jobs and $118 billion in regional economic impact and $285 billion nationwide, he noted.
Waterworth most recently served as President/Chief Executive Officer of Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation, a Texas-based engineering consulting firm.
Over the last 33 years, he has held successive executive leadership positions at increasing levels of responsibilities in both the private and public sectors.
In the public sector, Waterworth most recently served as District Engineer/Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District in Galveston.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State, a Master of Engineering Administration from George Washington University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
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Dredging Today Staff, April 25, 2012; Image: portofhouston