Biography

Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., Executive Director

As executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. oversees the daily operations and internal management of the nation's number one containerport. After an exhaustive national search, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa nominated Dr. Knatz for the position in late 2005. In January 2006, she became the first female executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

Moving the Port of Los Angeles forward with an agenda that focuses on responsible Port growth and environmental leadership is an aggressive goal that Dr. Knatz has tackled from day one. Reducing port emissions, eliminating health risks and expanding capital development programs to accommodate the Port's future growth as a premiere Pacific gateway and national economic engine are top priorities at the Port under the leadership of Dr. Knatz.

A key to accomplishing these goals is the landmark San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, approved in November 2006 by the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor Commissions. The Clean Air Action Plan provides a comprehensive strategy for reducing air emissions from port operations by nearly 50 percent over a period of five years. Dr. Knatz was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Clean Air Action Plan. Her efforts facilitated the first joint meeting of the leaders of the two ports since the 1920s and the first ever public meeting of the two Port Boards on the day the Plan was approved in November.

Dr. Knatz’s take-charge attitude and relentless energy in making “green growth” a top priority at the Port of Los Angeles has earned her numerous accolades, including recognition as: one of Journal of Commerce Magazine’s “Outstanding Women in Transportation” in 2007; “Woman Executive of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal in May 2007; one of “The West 100,” Los Angeles Times Magazine’s List of the most powerful people in Southern California in August 2006; and a spot on Los Angeles Magazine’s “Power List” of L.A. Influentials in December 2006.

Dr. Knatz previously served as managing director of the neighboring Port of Long Beach. As the number two executive at the Port of Long Beach, Dr. Knatz oversaw a $2.3 billion capital improvement program and spearheaded a number of environmental initiatives, including development of the Green Port Policy and Truck Trip Reduction Program. While her impressive tenure at the Port of Long Beach spans two decades, Dr. Knatz began her maritime career as an environmental scientist at the Port of Los Angeles in 1977.

In June 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Dr. Knatz to the California Ocean Protection Council, which oversees and coordinates statewide policy for the protection and management of California's ocean and coastal resources. In October 2007, Dr. Knatz was selected to be the chair-elect for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), and two AAPA committees: U.S. Legislative Policy Council and U.S. Delegation. In 2008, Dr. Knatz was appointed to serve a three-year tenure on the Eno Transportation Foundation Board of Advisors.

Dr. Knatz serves on the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority Board of Directors and the AAPA Executive Committee. She chairs the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) Environmental Committee and is a member of its Executive Committee, representing the IAPH on international maritime treaties at the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization. She is a past chair of the National Academy of Sciences Marine Board and American Association of Port Authorities' Harbors and Navigation Committee.

A proud alumna of the University of Southern California, where she presently teaches in the Civil Engineering School, Dr. Knatz earned two degrees from USC: a doctorate in biological science and a Master of Science in environmental engineering. She also holds an undergraduate degree in zoology from Rutgers University. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dr. Knatz resides in Long Beach with her husband and two sons.