Omar Benjamin was appointed by the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners as Executive Director of the Port of Oakland effective February of 2007. Mr. Benjamin is responsible for the administration and operations of the Port organization and reports to the Board. Mr. Benjamin was most recently the Deputy Executive Director of Operations for the Port of Oakland, where he had oversight of the Port's revenue divisions: Maritime, Aviation, and Commercial Real Estate. Mr. Benjamin was previously the Director of Commercial Real Estate for the Port of Oakland and has been with the Port since February of 1997.

Prior to joining the Port of Oakland, Mr. Benjamin was the Chief Operating Officer for Al Anwa USA Inc. (Los Angeles). He directed investment, development, business operations and managed a $700 million diversified real estate investment portfolio. Mr. Benjamin also served as Chief Operating Officer for Newfield Enterprises International and worked in Paris, France for four years as an investment manager for The First Investment Capital Corporation.

Mr. Benjamin holds a B.S. degree in business administration from California State University, East Bay. He is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on its San Francisco District Council’s Executive Committee. Mr. Benjamin also serves on the Board of Directors for community organizations such as the Paramount Theatre of the Arts, the Center for Elders Independence and the Oakland Economic Development Corporation.