HOUSTON, Nov. 17, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Houston City Council has approved the third re-appointment of Houston attorney, businesswoman and civic leader Janiece Longoria to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. Port authority commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.primezone.com/poha/pages/exec.html
Initially appointed in September 2002, Longoria chairs the International Business Development Task Force and also serves on the PHA Community Relations Task Force and the Small Business Committee.
"We welcome Commissioner Longoria's return," says PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds. "She brings with her a wealth of professional knowledge and a proven track record of accomplishment."
Houston Mayor Bill White applauded Longoria for "her hard work and willingness to serve the port."
"She is a proven leader and a true public servant," White says.
City Councilmember James Rodriguez, who sponsored Longoria's reappointment, had high praise for the commissioner and the work she has done.
"She is energetic, enthusiastic and a persistent advocate for the betterment of the entire Houston community," he says.
Longoria thanked the mayor and members of the city council for "their continued confidence in my role as a commissioner for the Port of Houston and their recognition of the Port's important role in furthering commerce, trade and economic growth in our great city."
"There are still challenges ahead of us and I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners to meet those challenges," she says.
Longoria is a lawyer and a partner in the law firm of Ogden, Gibson, Broocks & Longoria, LLP. Among a select group of women lawyers across the United States who have served with distinction as independent directors of public companies and have worked to advance the value of diversity in board positions, Longoria is a recipient of the 2008 Sandra Day O'Connor Board Excellence Award.
Longoria 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. As a member of the board of directors, she serves on Centerpoint Energy's audit and finance committees, and is also a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.
She also serves as one of nine members of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, which oversees nine educational campuses, and six medical institutions. She serves on the Audit, Compliance and Management Review Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee; and the Facilities Planning & Construction Committee.
She also serves on the board of directors of The Greater Houston Partnership, the greater Houston region's leading chamber of commerce. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committees of the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Heritage Society of Houston Harris County. Longoria 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.
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. She is a Founder of the University of Texas Center For Women In Law.
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 7,700 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. 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. PHA is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. 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
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
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.
