Michael R. Christensen, a 30-year veteran Transportation Engineer, recently joined the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's number one container port, as Director of Port Development. The Director of Port Development is the number two position at the Port reporting directly to the executive director, Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D.

'We consider ourselves very fortunate to have someone of Mike's caliber on board,' said Knatz. 'The Port of Los Angeles is just beginning a whole slate of capital improvement projects, and Mike's coming on board will anchor the process.'

Prior to joining the Port, Christensen was a Vice President with Pasadena-based Parsons Corporation, held senior management positions in various other transportation consulting firms, and spent 16 years with the Southern Pacific Railroad in positions that included Chief Environmental Affairs Officer.

Projects Christensen has held key leadership roles on include the Alameda Corridor, Reno's ReTRAC grade separation project, Port of Oakland's Maritime Development Alternatives Study, and the Long Beach/Los Angeles Intermodal Container Transfer Facility.

Christensen holds a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Arizona State University and is a registered professional engineer in nine states.