Posted on July 14, 2025
The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners unanimously elected Andreas Cluver to lead as Board President. Jahmese Myres was elected First Vice President, and Barbara Leslie was elected Second Vice President of the Commission.
President Andreas Cluver held the post of First Vice President last year and that of Second Vice President from 2022 to 2024. Commissioner Cluver previously served as President from 2020 to 2022 and First Vice President from 2018 to 2020. He joined the Port Board in 2016.
Mr. Cluver currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County. He previously served as a business representative for the Building Trades in Alameda County as well as internationally in Southern Africa as a program director with the AFL-CIO.
“I’m honored to be elected by my fellow commissioners as President of the Board,” said Port Board President Andreas Cluver. “I look forward to continuing our work, in partnership with our staff and our labor, community and industry stakeholders, on numerous initiatives that will help the Port of Oakland grow responsibly, promote jobs and deliver positive economic impact to our city and our region.”
Andreas Cluver, Jahmese Myres and Barbara Leslie
Jahmese Myres was elevated into the Board leadership role as First Vice President. Ms. Myres joined the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in July 2023. Commissioner Myres is a third generation Californian and resides in East Oakland with her family. Commissioner Myres currently works as Leadership Development Director at Powerswitch Action which supports social justice leaders across the country.
Second Vice President Barbara Leslie continues in a leadership role on the Port Board. She was elected to serve as Board President from 2022 to 2024, served as First Vice President from 2020 to 2022, and held the position of Second Vice President from 2024 to 2025 and 2019 to 2020. She joined the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in December 2018. Ms. Leslie is the President and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Cluver also thanked outgoing President Michael Colbruno and recently-retired Commissioner Yui Hay Lee for their years of steadfast service to the Port of Oakland.
“Mr. Colbruno and Mr. Lee have long been champions of environmental and sustainability issues at the Port and instrumental in helping move the Port forward on its zero-emissions pathway,” said Cluver.
Mayor Barbara Lee recently appointing two new individuals to the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners-Alvina Wong, a director at the Asian Pacific Environment Network, and Derrick Muhammad, a marine lawyer and former International Longshore & Warehouse Unio leader. Lee also reappointed Barbara Leslie to a new term on the Board. The appointments were confirmed unanimously by the Oakland City County on July 1, 2025.
The three newly-confirmed officers will serve in their roles for the next 12 months. The Board consists of seven members nominated by the mayor and appointed by the City Council for four-year terms. Members must live in Oakland during their term. Port Commissioners donate their time to the Board as they serve without salary or compensation.
