INDUSTRY BRIEFS
New faces join APP Executive Committee
T he APP is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Executive Committee, strengthening the leader- ship team guiding the organization’s work on behalf of ports and maritime organizations throughout the Pacific. The new Executive Committee members are DreanaLee Kalili, Deputy Director, Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbors Division; Paula Miranda, General Manager, Port of Newport (Oregon), and Celina Zacarias, Port of Hueneme (California). Ms. Kalili takes the position of Third Vice President, vacated by Jerry Nathan, Republic of Marshall Islands; Ms. Miranda and Ms. Zacarias join as At-Large Representatives. Dre Kalili oversees operations of the state’s commercial ports system. She was appointed by Governor Josh Green in December 2022. Prior to her appointment, Dre served as the HDOT Highways Special Projects Manager and led the $25 million broadband
pilot project to fiber-enable highway facilities and provide free high-speed internet service in underserved com- munities statewide. Paula Miranda was hired by the Port of Newport in May of 2019. Prior to joining the Port, Paula spent 12 years as the deputy executive director and real estate and business development manager for what was formerly known as the Port of St. Helens and rebranded as the Port of Columbia County in 2018.
Celina Zacarias was elected as Commissioner of the Port District of Oxnard: Port of Hueneme in November 2020. She has served as Executive Director of Community and Government Relations for California State University Channel Islands since 2007 and is responsible for promoting the positive presence and goodwill of California State University Channel Islands at all levels, throughout the culturally diverse service region, state, country, and internationally.
APP launches Engineering Technical Committee to advance maritime resilience and infrastructure T he Association of Pacific Ports (APP) has offi- cially launched its new Engineering Technical Committee. Operating under the direct oversight
Steering this ambitious initiative as Committee Chair is Bill Dubbs, PE, a veteran waterfront infrastructure engineer with over two decades of engineering leadership and global technical experience in maritime structural engineering, port planning, and terminal modernization. Currently serving as the Waterfront Infrastructure Leader at Black & Veatch, Dubbs brings deep expertise in complex, multi-agency projects in support of the maritime industry. He recently served as the U.S. Principal Representative to the PIANC Maritime Navigation Commission Working Group 224 and as contributing author to the newly pub- lished second edition of ASCE Manual of Practice 130 – Waterfront Facilities Inspection and Assessment. Under the committee’s charter, Dubbs will oversee the committee’s quarterly technical sessions and head its reporting directly to the APP Board of Directors. More information can be found on the APP’s website.
and governance of the APP’s Executive Committee, this newly chartered body will be charged with providing tech- nical leadership, fostering knowledge transfer, and collab- orating on authoritative engineering guidelines regarding the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of waterfront facilities The Committee’s efforts will help APP continue to drive sustainable infrastructure development, automate supply chains, and build climate resilience across Pacific maritime hubs. “Ports across the Pacific face many of the same infrastruc- ture challenges,” said APP President Kirk DeJesus. “This Committee will bring technical experts together to share practical knowledge and help our member ports become stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for the future.”
October 2026 — PACIFIC PORTS — 9
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