Janiece M. Longoria was reappointed Chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority today by a unanimous vote during a joint session of Harris County Commissioners Court and Houston City Council. Texas state statute sets out the appointment process for the Port Commission Chair, which is an unpaid position, requiring county and city to meet at the Port Authority on the 2nd Monday in January of odd-numbered years.

Ms. Longoria has served as the Chairman of the Port Authority since being appointed to the position on January 8, 2013. She chairs the Port Commission’s Audit Committee, Community Relations Committee and serves on the Governance Committee and Pension and Benefits Committee. She created the Citizens Advisory Council to foster open communication between communities in and around the Port of Houston and the Port Commission. The Greater Houston Port Bureau recently named Ms. Longoria the 2017 Maritime Person of the Year.

Ms. Longoria is an honors graduate of the University of Texas and received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1979. She is on the board of two public companies, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. and Superior Energy Services, Inc., both based in Houston. She is the former Vice Chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents and a former board member of the University of Texas Investment Management Company. Ms. Longoria currently serves on the board of directors of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, the Greater Houston Partnership and the Texas Medical Center, and of the Board of Visitors of the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is active in many non-profit organizations.

Ms. Longoria has received numerous honors and recognitions for her community and board service, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award for the University of Texas, the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Board Excellence, the Female Executive of the Year Award from the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2010), and has been recognized as a “breakthrough woman” and was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

About Port Houston

For more than 100 years, the port has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals of the Port of Houston – the nation’s largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the nation. It supports the creation of nearly 1.175 million jobs in Texas and 2.7 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling almost $265 billion in Texas – 16 percent of Texas’ total gross domestic product – and more than $617 billion in economic impact across the nation. For more information, visit Port Houston’s website at: www.porthouston.com.