HOUSTON, Sept. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- By unanimous vote, Houston City Council today reappointed Janiece Longoria to the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) Commission for a third term. Initially appointed in September 2002, Longoria also is a member of the board of the Pilot Commissioners. PHA commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.primezone.com/poha/pages/exec.html
"We eagerly welcome Commissioner Longoria's return," said PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds. "Her leadership has been exemplary to overall port issues. Janiece works diligently to serve Houston, and her dedication to her constituents has been instrumental in helping maintain the port's economic vitality. We look forward to continuing our work with her."
Longoria chairs the PHA commission's International Business Task Force. She also is a member of the commission's community relations task force and the small business development committee.
"It is an honor to represent the city of Houston as a Port of Houston Authority commissioner," Longoria said. "The port authority is on a sound course, building on its strengths to serve existing customers and cultivate new business relationships. As I look toward the future, I relish the challenges and opportunities that are essential to our American system of commerce. Houston's port is in an excellent position to capitalize on the opportunities in the marketplace and to help shape the future of the maritime industry. With continuous guidance from all of the port's stakeholders, I will work diligently to uphold the commitment to excellence in delivering the goods for Houston."
Mayor Bill White remarked, "Janiece Longoria represents the best of Houston. As commissioner, she will provide the leadership our port deserves."
City Council Member Michael Berry and City Council Member Carol Alvarado jointly nominated Longoria for reappointment to the port commission. "Janiece Longoria provides the port authority with a unique blend of talent, tireless energy, depth of experience and selfless dedication to service," said Berry. "She represents the best our community has to offer and never forgets the least in our great city. The nation's best port deserves great leadership, and Janiece Longoria brings it."
Alvarado remarked, "Janiece has been an influential port commissioner, and I was pleased to nominate her for reappointment. She has taken a leadership role in promoting economic opportunities for small businesses. Janiece understands the port's contribution to Houston's economy and represents the City of Houston in a way we can be proud of."
Background
Professionally, since 1997, Longoria has been a partner in the law firm of Ogden, Gibson, Broocks & Longoria, L.L.P., where she focuses her practice on the trial, arbitration and appeal of a broad range of commercial litigation cases. She has previously served as a partner for the law firms of Andrews & Kurth, L.L.P., and Hutcheson & Grundy, L.L.P. Earlier in her legal career, Longoria was a city of Houston municipal court judge, and a prosecutor in the Harris County district attorney's office. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of Texas and a doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of Texas' School of Law.
Longoria is a member of the American Bar Association's Securities Law Section, the State Bar of Texas, and is a Fellow of the Houston Bar Association and Houston Bar Foundation. She is a member of the Legal and Compliance Division of the Securities Industry Association and has been a contributor to the annual broker-dealer survey of litigation published by the SIA.
She also serves on the Board of Directors of Centerpoint Energy, Inc., the third largest publicly traded natural gas delivery company in the U.S., and the provider of electricity transmission and distribution service for the Houston metropolitan area and natural gas distribution service in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. As a member of the board of directors, she serves on Centerpoint Energy's audit and finance committees.
She also serves on the board of directors of The Greater Houston Partnership, where she is active on the World Trade Division Supervisory Board. She also serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committees of the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Heritage Society of Houston Harris County. She has formerly served as a director of numerous other charitable organizations including the Houston Symphony, The Houston Symphony Endowment, Texas Accountants & Lawyers for the Arts, The University of Saint Thomas President's Advisory Council, Contemporary Arts Museum, Cultural Arts Council of Houston, Houston Hispanic Forum, San Jacinto Girl Scout Council, and Hispanic Women in Leadership.
PHOTO CAPTIONS02 (from l. to r.): PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds, PHA Commissioner Elyse Lanier, PHA Commissioner Janiece Longoria, Houston City Council Member Carol Alvarado, Houston City Council Member Michael Berry.
03 PHA Commissioner Janiece Longoria (center) is flanked by her husband Stephen Lasher (left) and PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds (right).
04 PHA Commissioner (second from right) is flanked by (l. to r.) her husband Stephen Lasher, Houston City Council Member Carol Alvarado, and Houston City Council Member Michael Berry.
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 6,600 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and tenth largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
To access the port's website photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
