Posted on November 14, 2025
The Alabama State Port Authority has named interim executive Doug Otto as its next CEO, selecting a longtime internal leader who once piloted military aircraft into hurricane eyewalls.
Otto who has served as interim CEO since August, was officially appointed to the permanent role on Wednesday and will lead the agency until his expected retirement in March 2027.
“With more than $1 billion in infrastructure investments underway across the Port, steady and consistent leadership from an experienced executive like Doug is essential,” said Zeke Smith, chairman of the Alabama Port Authority’s board of directors, in a news release announcing Otto’s hiring.
Otto’s salary will be public once it is finalized, according to a spokesperson with the Port Authority. Driscoll, whom he succeeds, retired in August.
Otto’s appointment comes about a month after completion of a $425 million modernization project that deepened the Mobile ship channel’s berths to 50 feet.
Otto, 67, brings more than three decades of experience in port operations and infrastructure development, including leadership roles with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he served as chief of the engineering division for the Mobile district.
He also spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel. While in the Air Force, Otto served as a C-130/WC-130 instructor and evaluator pilot and was squadron commander of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the “Hurricane Hunters.”
In that role, Otto logged 150 hurricane eyewall penetrations and led one of the final Hurricane Hunters flights into Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 28, 2005, as the storm rapidly intensified from a Category 3 to a Category 5 before landfall. On that mission, Otto’s squadron recorded maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and a minimum pressure of 902 millibars, providing critical data that helped guide evacuations across the Gulf Coast.
“From commanding the Hurricane Hunters squadron to leading complex engineering projects, Doug’s proven discipline, leadership, and technical expertise make him the right person to guide the Port through this critical phase of growth,” Smith said.
According to the Port Authority, the board had completed an initial external search for a new CEO but determined that maintaining “consistent leadership during the Port’s ongoing major capital investment program is essential” to delivering projects on schedule.
The Port’s investment program includes a $230 million upgrade to the McDuffie Coal Terminal, a $130 million expansion of APM Terminals, $100 million to rehabilitate the Main Docks complex, and $38 million for an inter-terminal connector bridge, along with additional expansion projects.
In Montgomery, the Port is developing a $100 million intermodal container transfer facility.
As CEO, Otto will also work closely with the board of directors on “leadership continuity and organizational strategy,” helping set long-term priorities for the agency.
“Establishing a clear roadmap for the next decade ensures that, in the next phase of the search, the board is best positioned to select an executive who aligns with our vision for growth and for economic benefit across Alabama,” Smith said.
