Posted on June 29, 2020
Darryl Berger has been elected chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, which chose new officers on Thursday for the next fiscal year.
In addition, William Langenstein III was elected vice chairman, while Charles Ponstein was appointed secretary-treasurer during the monthly board meeting.
Port commissioners also serve as directors of the New Orleans Public Belt Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the port. Berger will serve as chairman of NOPB’s Board of Directors, Langenstein as vice chairman and Ponstein as secretary-treasurer. Tara Hernandez, the outgoing chair of both Port NOLA and the NOPB, will continue to serve on the board as a commissioner until her term ends in July 2021. The port often uniformly rotates its leadership positions.
“Chair Hernandez has done an excellent job during her tenure as chair, advancing many critically important initiatives for the Port,” Berger said in a news release. “I look forward to continuing her positive vision and focusing on preparing Port NOLA for future growth. Together with my fellow commissioners and Port leadership, we will also continue to successfully navigate through the challenges we face due to COVID-19 impacts.”
Berger joined the port and NOPB boards in February 2017 when he was appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards. He has experience in real estate development, finance and entrepreneurial endeavors. He is the founder and chairman of The Berger Company Inc. and an investor, developer and financier of real estate. He served for nine years as chair of the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corp. and is the immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees of Tulane University, among many other involvements.
The Port NOLA Board consists of seven members. They are unsalaried and serve five-year staggered terms. The Board represents the Port’s three-parish jurisdiction, with two members from Jefferson, four from Orleans and one from St. Bernard. Commissioners Jack Jensen Jr. and Joseph Toomy represent Jefferson Parish; Berger, Langenstein, Hernandez and Arnold Baker represent Orleans Parish; and Ponstein represents St. Bernard Parish.
In other news, the board renewed Brandy Christian’s contract as president and CEO of the port and CEO of the NOPB Railroad Corp. Her contract was extended for at least three years.
Source: neworleanscitybusiness
