Houston Port Commission names new chair

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Courtesy of Port of Houston Authority

Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Port Commission Chairman Janiece Longoria and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett

Molly Ryan

Reporter- Houston Business Journal

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The Port of Houston Authority’s governing body, the Port Commission, has named a new leader: Janiece Longoria.

Harris County Commissioners Court and Houston City Council jointly appointed Longoria as the Port Commission’s new chair on Tuesday.

Longoria has been a member of the port commission since appointed by Houston City Council in 2002, and she currently serves on the commission’s governance and procurement task forces.

Outside of the port, Longoria is a partner at the law firm Ogden, Gibson, Broocks & Longoria LLP, a founder of the University of Texas Center for Women in Law and a director of Houston-based CenterPoint Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNP).

Longoria replaces former chairman Jim Edmonds, who led the commission since first appointed in 2000.

The length of the commission’s chair and commissioner terms and how members are appointed has been a point of discussion during the Port’s recent Sunset Advisory Commission review. The Texas Legislature’s Sunset Commission advised in its review that Port Commission term limits be put in place. Later, the Sunset Commission added a recommendation that the Texas governor appoint all seven members of the commission. Both recommendations are expected to be discussed in this year’s legislative session.

Molly Ryan covers manufacturing, technology, the Port and logistics.