AAPA reorganizes key staff roles and responsibilities

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)—the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas—has announced completion of its operating departments and key personnel reorganization, part of a top-to-bottom “modernization” of the hemispheric trade association that began late last year after the installation of Christopher J. Connor as AAPA’s president and CEO.

“I’m pleased to report that AAPA has completed a realignment of the roles and responsibilities of its senior staff to help the association better serve its member ports, industry service providers, and supply chain, workforce development and academia partners well into the foreseeable future,” said Connor. “The realignment of AAPA’s senior staff eliminates overlapping responsibilities, improves accountability and strengthens financial oversight, including oversight of our grant administration capacities, in line with the association’s new role as an administrator of federal Department of Labor apprenticeship training grants.”

Earlier this year, AAPA announced it had been chosen by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) as among 28 U.S. entities to administer nearly $100 million being awarded through the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. The association is currently managing its first USDOL grant, totaling $5.89 million, and is in the process of applying for another. 

Reworking AAPA’s staff and organizational structure follows on the heels of recent adjustments to its governance model and membership classifications, education and training program offerings and its professional and workforce development credentialing programs.

Senior staff positions now reporting directly to Mr. Connor are: Membership and Sponsorship Vice President Meredith Martino; Marketing and Workforce Development Vice President Mary Beth Long; Senior Director of Government Relations and General Counsel Cary Davis; and Finance and Grant Administration Director Maranda Jones-Anderson.

As part of the realignment, AAPA also changed the roles and/or responsibilities of several other staff, including naming one to coordinate the association’s current and future apprenticeship grants, and altering another’s to focus on membership retention and experience. Two long-time employees will be retiring on Dec. 31, 2020; Membership Director Ed O’Connell, and Public Affairs Director Aaron Ellis.