Tay Yoshitani, CEO of the Port of Seattle, was named chairman-elect of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) during the group’s board of directors meeting last week in Washington, DC.

“This appointment says volumes about the work our staff is doing in Seattle,” said Yoshitani. “Our team has developed a reputation for generating new ideas on environmental sustainability, strategic foresight and financial stability of the port. I look forward to advancing the conversation on trade promotion and other issues critical to the future of ports throughout the Americas.”

AAPA is an alliance of leading ports in the Western Hemisphere that advances its members’ interests through public advocacy and professional development. Yoshitani will assume the role of chairman, an uncompensated position, at this fall’s AAPA convention in Orlando.

Yoshitani has been chief executive officer of the Port of Seattle since 2007. He is former chief executive of both the Maryland Port Administration and the Port of Oakland and served as deputy executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.