Propeller Club forum highlights success of maritime transportation women

Six leading maritime transportation women shared their success stories that highlighted the growing role of women in the U.S. maritime industry. Many cited the support of mentors, many of whom were men, as one key to their success.

The six shared their experiences at the Propeller Club of Northern California on February 18th and included: Susan Ransom, Stevedoring Services of America, Captain Samar Bannister, California Maritime Academy, Captain Anne Mcintyre, San Francisco Bar Pilots, Carolyn Almquist, Port of Oakland, Leanne Andalis, Pasha Group and Laura Germany, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).

However, the Propeller Club audience’s loudest ovation was accorded to Kristi McKenney, the Port of Oakland’s new executive director. On February 13^th, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners named McKenney the new executive director following announcement of Executive Director Danny Wan’s retirement on February 28.

McKenney will be the first woman to serve as executive director in the Port of Oakland’s 98-year history.

“I’m grateful and excited for this opportunity to lead during such a transformative time in Port history,” said McKenney.

McKenney joined the Port as an environmental planner. She has held several positions at the Port, from Assistant Aviation Director to Interim Executive Director. She has been the Port’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) since February 2020.

“We look forward to Ms. McKenney taking the Port’s vision to the next level,” said Port of Oakland Board President Michael Colbruno.

Keys To Success

During the Propeller Club panel, moderated by the Port of Oakland’s Ron Brown, the six women discussed their career paths:

Susan Ransom: “So, this really talks about diversity, equity, and inclusion and what can you do moving forward. I will tell you, growing up, my father was an Oakland fireman. My two older brothers were not on the soft side, and I was always a tom girl, a tomboy …I don't ruffle easily, as most of you that know me, know that … I run into a lot of challenges in life, but I look at challenges as a game. I am very competitive. I do not get intimidated easily. And so, when someone is (doing) something that I don't approve of, I just spin it … to my advantage. And I think that's what we have to do as women and not take every little comment to heart. I will tell you that I would like to manage by example. I have this wonderful team that is here. I really appreciate them being here. I always get very sentimental … because without them, I would not be me. And I feel like in every career I've had … I have not done this alone. At American President Lines, I worked for a couple of people that I wish I didn't work for. But, you know, those are lessons learned, right? I mean, you're not going to like every job you have… mostly you're going to move on and you're going to find your niche … I was a freight cashier, I was a customer support, I was in planning … Ultimately, I landed in inside sales. From there I went to outside sales, loved it, loved people, loved meeting people. And then the president of SSA met me one day and said: “Hey, I want you to come work over here.” So, I moved over to SSA.”

Anne McIntyre: I got a part-time job cleaning rooms for … an America's Cup campaign, sailing boat. And some of the guys that were on the crew of that went to maritime academies. I never thought that I could work on a ship, I didn't know anything about it, but because of meeting these people, I went to Cal Maritime (and) graduated from Cal Maritime in 1988, and at that time … the maritime industry was just when the shipping companies were starting to diversify. I was lucky enough to get picked up by Chevron. Worked at Chevron, had a lot of great mentors there … And when I was at Chevron, I was on a ship going up and down the Columbia River… I became the first woman to be a pilot on the Columbia River and the first woman (that) graduated Cal Maritime to be a state licensed maritime pilot.

Laura Germany: “I am with the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association. And I have been here for over 20 years now. My role now is Vice President of HR administration … I went and did an internship at Pacific Maritime Association. That was during the 2002 ILWU/PMA longshore contract negotiations. And my eyes were widened from that experience. Learned a whole lot that summer, and I just decided to continue that pathway. I learned a lot from my mentor, Betty Wilson, who was in HR (Human Resources) at PMA. And then I moved on to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) where John McClaurin was the president. He has been a great mentor and father figure. And yeah, he has taught me the ropes of the industry and I haven't looked back.”

Samar Bannister: “I am the Captain of the California Maritime Academy training ship Golden Bear. I came from a very small town of 500 people in Colorado. I did not come from a maritime background. … My family is a bunch of hippies, and we would take trips every three months. And when I was a junior in high school, we were on a sailboat for about six months in the Caribbean. So, I went from cold Colorado to beautiful Caribbean, and I thought, well, this is where it's at. This is what I want to do. I got to go to Cal Maritime. The more I was at the Academy, the more I realized my love was deep sea. I loved the big ships; I loved the long voyages. So, when I graduated … I got on a ship the next day. I did not even go home, and I loved it. I went deep sea, 14 years I was with American Maritime Officers (AMO), the largest union of U.S merchant marine officers. I worked on numerous different vessels … and also (found) a wonderful mentor who was from Cal Maritime who took me under his wing and said, “This is what you got to do.” And so, I'm very blessed to be surrounded with a lot of good mentors, and I'm very blessed to be here (at Cal Maritime) around some amazing people…”

Leanne Andalis: “I kind of just fell into transportation, which a lot of folks do. So, I started my career in 2004 working at GSC Logistics … then I made my way to Pasha about four months ago, starting something new with this organization. So, really excited about it … Motherhood really projected and propelled my drive for my career. It was not in spite of, but because of, so I've actually been … a single mom for 14 years, my daughter just turned 18 last month, which is crazy. I learned so much, worked with a lot of smart and fantastic people, folks that believed in me before I even believed in myself … And so, I'm very honored to be at a table with some like-minded women who are really here to support the next generation … One experience that really stands out is when I transitioned into my first leadership role, I was fortunate enough to have a mentor industry veteran, who not only provided guidance, but also challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone… He taught me that a peer leader allows her team to flourish. And oftentimes for my own focus on delivering on the bottom line, reminded me that people are people. That's the first time I was really exposed to … how transparency is not a weakness, but also a skill … to … navigate complex business decisions.”

Carolyn Almquist: “I found a job in import/export. And that is where I started working for an agency in San Francisco. Very shortly after that, I jumped over to APL (American President Lines) and was able to use my education in a way that is so different from … the Cal Maritime people who are here … my education did not give me a direct link into the industry, but it's been a really good background. So, I'm thankful to be here … So, for me, my strengths come in critical thinking, analysis and trying to communicate … So, when I started as an analyst at APL … I just looked at data and I always made sure I pulled data. And the role that I had at that time was one where they really tried to make your pricing people and your sales people fight to the finish … So, we would just negotiate so hard … So, my education really taught me how to work through data, how to analyze things. But really it was my mentors, who were mostly men, probably 90% men, who said, okay, it's not just the data. You've got to understand the business and the operations side of it and convince people of an entire argument. “