from staff
Former Federal Maritime Commissioner A. Paul Anderson will join the Jacksonville Port Authority as CEO Jan. 17, the port announced Wednesday.
The JPA board of directors approved his selection Dec. 17 and contract negotiations were completed in recent days.
Anderson succeeds Rick Ferrin, who resigned as executive director in August. He has a three-year contract at $320.000 a year.
“I am pleased to welcome Paul Anderson to JaxPort at this critical juncture in the development of our position in global trade,” said Dave Kulik, chair of the JPA board of directors.
“His experience in both government and private business, combined with the strengths of JaxPort’s current leadership, will play a significant role in moving our port forward,” said Kulik.
Anderson served on the Federal Maritime Commission from 2003-2008 and has held other leadership positions during his nearly 30-year career.
According to the port, Anderson most recently was a Senior Fellow of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives and president of the International Oil Shipping Co. based in Boca Raton.
Anderson spent 10 years with JM Family Enterprises, headquartered in Deerfield Beach. JM Family Enterprises operates Southeast Toyota at the port’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal.
Anderson, who grew up in San Clemente, Calif., is relocating with his family to Jacksonville from Fort Lauderdale.
He is a 1982 graduate of the University of Florida and completed the Senior Managers in Government program at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.
“I will commit all of my energy and experience to supporting our partners as we compete in the global market and continue to grow our port,” Anderson said in a statement.
“We will work side-by-side with community and government leaders to vigorously pursue funding for port development, to build strategic alliances and to create new jobs,” he said.
The port consists of three cargo facilities, a cruise terminal and a public river ferry. The port said it generates 65,000 jobs and more than $19 billion in annual economic impact for the North Florida region.