CAPA Elects New President, Port of Redwood City Executive Director Kristine A. Zortman

Mario Cordero, Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Long Beach, was elected Vice President and David Libatique, Deputy Executive Director of Stakeholder Engagement for the Port of Los Angeles, was elected Treasurer. 

Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA) announced that Kristine A. Zortman, Executive Director of the Port Redwood City, was elected to serve as President of the organization.  Zortman, who was previously the organization’s Vice President, was elected to the role by unanimous vote at the organization’s annual meeting last Wednesday. 

“I’m honored to be elected President of the California Association of Port Authorities.  For over 80 years, our organization has been at the forefront of the most pressing issues facing our state’s economy and the maritime industry,” Zortman said. “With intense competition from Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, our state must continue to advance policies that will allow California’s supply chain to thrive.”

In her role as executive director of the Port of Redwood City, Zortman is responsible for implementing long-range organizational goals and policies for the seventh largest port in California. While serving in this role, Zortman has spearheaded several key initiatives that have positioned south San Francisco Bay’s only deep-water port for long-term success. This includes developing the port’s first-ever strategic vision plan, which will guide the port’s development through 2025.

Zortman’s port experience also includes eight years at the Port of San Diego where she worked on commercial real estate negotiations for cargo and maritime trade growth. She also served as Vice President of neighborhood investment for Civic San Diego, a non-profit economic development agency. She began her career working in the environmental and biological realms for the National Park Service and Heitman Financial, a real estate investment management firm in Los Angeles. 

The California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA) comprises 11 major deepwater port authorities across our state.  The port authorities that comprise CAPA are responsible for handling 38% of all containerized imports and 28% of all exports in the U.S.  California Ports are a major driver of quality, good-paying jobs.  More than 1 million California jobs and 3 million jobs nationally are linked to trade through CAPA member ports.