HOUSTON, May 14, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) announces that, effective today, Lisa Ashley Whitlock is its Communications Department Manager. In this position, Whitlock is responsible for managing the PHA's advertising and editorial media strategies for promotional and marketing campaigns that include the multimedia The Port Delivers the Goods advertising campaign. She serves as an official spokesperson and liaison to the news media. In addition to the departmental administrative duties, Whitlock also oversees the production processes for all PHA's publications and marketing collateral materials.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://media.primezone.com/poha/pages/exec.html
The Communications Department is one of three departments in the PHA's Public Affairs Division. The division's other two departments are government relations and community relations. Whitlock and the other managers report to the Public Affairs Director.
"The Port Authority's commitment to consistent and accurate communications to its stakeholders in a responsible, timely and professional manner is paramount. Lisa has a 17-year track record in the media industry, is well-regarded in the field and will certainly add to the comprehensive and fast-paced communications program," said Argentina M. James, Public Affairs Division Director.
Whitlock brings a wealth of professional experience in public affairs and a rich history of civic involvement. Since 1990, she has worked for Fox 26 KRIV-TV, starting as a news assignments editor and ascending to the position of Community Affairs Director for KRIV and its sibling station My 20 KTXH-TV.
Whitlock reported directly to the stations' Vice President and General Manager and was responsible for promoting and enhancing the television station duopoly's public image, together with serving as the executive producer of public affairs programming and public services messages. She was responsible for external relationships with the stations' stakeholders that included media, government, business and community organizations.
"I am excited about this opportunity and anxious to meet the challenges that come with sharing the message of the world's 10th largest port," Whitlock says. "The Port of Houston Authority plays a vital role, and I look forward to helping to strategically advance the message of how it affects the economy from local to global perspective, as well."
Whitlock has served on the boards of Project Row Houses, the Houston chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the National Kidney Foundation of Southeast Texas, as well as on the Advisory Council - Houston Association of Black Journalists.
A graduate of Texas Southern University with a degree in speech communications, Whitlock is married to Michael Whitlock.
PHOTO CAPTION: Lisa Ashley Whitlock, Communications Department Manager, Port of Houston Authority.
About the Port of Houston Authority
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 7,000 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and 10th 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 web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
