Paul Anderson is a Former Federal Maritime Commissioner and joined Port Tampa Bay as Chief Executive Officer in December 2012 after holding a series of high-profile leadership positions in the public and private sectors.. Prior to joining Port Tampa Bay, Mr. Anderson was the Chief Executive Officer at the Jacksonville Port Authority.
Nominated to the Federal Maritime Commission by President George W. Bush in 2003, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2004, Anderson served a five-year term ending in 2008. In addition, the president designated Anderson as the Commission’s Chairman and re-nominated him for a second five year term. A highlight of Anderson’s service included his appointment to the Committee on Marine Transportation, a cabinet-level strategy group responsible for the nation’s seaports and reporting directly to the president.
Anderson spent 10 years with JM Family Enterprises; a diversified automobile business headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and was previously a senior director of Seabulk Marine, Inc., an international marine transportation company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has also served as an advisor on intermodal issues to former Florida governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist.
Anderson currently serves as chair of the Florida Ocean Alliance, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to bringing together the private sector, academia, and nonprofit research organizations in Florida to protect and enhance Florida’s coastal and ocean resources for continued social and economic benefits. Additionally, he currently serves as Chairman of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC). He recently completed a second term as the Chairman of the Florida Ports Council, having been reelected by his fellow Florida port directors and is currently serving as chair of the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council (FSTED). Anderson also serves multiple national leadership positions including the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). Anderson also serves on the board of directors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce; Associated Industries of Florida; Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation; Leukemia Lymphoma Society; The Florida Aquarium; Visit Tampa Bay; Tampa Bay EDC; and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). He has also held numerous community leadership positions including Chair, Board of Trustees, Broward (FL) Community College; Chair, Broward Alliance; Chair, Broward Health Foundation; Board of Directors of The Orange Bowl Committee; Board of Advisors of the South Florida PGA; and the National Executive Committee of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Anderson has lived in Florida for over 35 years and relocated with his family to Tampa, except during the period of his public service in Washington, D.C. Anderson is a 1982 graduate of the University of Florida and completed the Senior Managers in Government program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Brian Giuliani is Chief Operating Officer for Port Tampa Bay. Brian is responsible for overseeing all cargo & cruise operations throughout the port and provides operational support to our team to help promote and grow the port business. Brian works closely with the port’s terminal operating partners and the various regulatory & protective agencies to ensure all port operations are done efficiently, safely, in accordance with government regulations, and meeting customer requirements.
Mr. Giuliani has over 25 years of experience in maritime port operations, including terminal, vessel, and warehouse operations. Prior to joining Port Tampa Bay in July, 2019, Brian served as Director of North American Ports for Del Monte Fresh Produce. While working with Del Monte, he held various management positions and made numerous contributions towards improving Del Monte’s supply chain operations, including his leadership role in transitioning their Northeast distribution network from a palletized breakbulk transportation model to a fully containerized model and creating the foundation for a transformation throughout North America.
Brian is a graduate of Rutgers University. He is President of Tampa Bay International Terminals and currently serves on all port committees such as Tampa Bay Harbor Safety & Security Committee (TBHSSC), Tampa Cooperative Safety & Security Committee (TCSS), Port Heavy Weather Advisory Group (PHWAG), Vessel Movement Committee (VMC), and the Greater Tampa Bay Marine Advisory Council PORTS.
Thomas Hobbs has 20 years’ experience in Florida politics, starting his career in Governor Bush’s Office of Drug Control Policy, and continuing work in the Governors’ Office of Policy and Budget leading the Special Projects Division. Later he moved to the Florida House of Representatives for two years as the Deputy Director for the Majority Whip under Carlos Lopez Cantera. He spent the last ten years as a contract lobbyist representing multiple Fortune 500 companies, technology and education clients, as well as municipalities and special districts.
Mr. Hobbs is also a Major serving in the Florida Army National Guard, currently assigned as the Headquarters Commander for Camp Blanding Joint Training Center. He joined in 2007, enlisting as a Combat Engineer before graduating Officer Candidate School and commissioning as a Military Intelligence Officer in 2009. He was selected to go to Army Flight School in 2011 and is an HH-60 Blackhawk Medevac Pilot. He served in Iraq from 2016-2017, earning a Meritorious Service Medal for his actions.
Mr. Hobbs is a two time graduate from Florida State University, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Social Science in 2002 and his Master’s Degree in Political Science in 2004.
Laura L. Lenhart joined Port Tampa Bay with nearly 15 years of experience in government affairs. Lenhart previously worked as Government Affairs Advisor at Gray Robinson, P.A., where she advocated on behalf of client issues in the Tampa Bay area and statewide on varied interests ranging from telecommunications, technology, K-12 education, transportation, and human services. She has served as the Government and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Frontier Communications serving parts of Pasco and Polk, and all of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties, where she was responsible for developing and successfully executing their annual legislative agenda.
Lenhart also held government relations positions with Moffitt Cancer Center and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. She earned a Master of Science in Political Science, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, both from Florida State University.
Jose De Jesus is a Professional Engineer with over 20 years of experience and has spent the last seven engineering and managing capital projects for Port Tampa Bay and ascended to Director of Engineering in October 2021. Prior to working at Port Tampa Bay, Mr. De Jesus worked as an engineering consultant designing a wide-range of commercial projects and heavy civil projects. He has expertise in sustainable design and construction having been certified as a LEED Accredited Professional.
Mr. De Jesus received his BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. He subsequently obtained a Masters in Business Administration. Mr. De Jesus is active with various technical and professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers and is part of the STEM youth outreach program through the Society of American Military Engineers. His is an alumni of Leadership Tampa Bay.
Jorge Torres joined Port Tampa Bay in 2015. He serves as Director of Security, and as the Port Authority’s designated Facility Security Officer (FSO). Jorge is responsible for ensuring the Port’s compliance with all maritime security regulatory requirements, manages the port security grant program, he is the Customs Trade Partnership against Terrorism program manager, and directs the day-to-day operation of the security department.
Jorge served 14 years on active duty with the US Coast Guard, transitioning to the reserve component in 2009. Jorge retired in 2019 as a Senior Chief, having served a total of 24 years. Prior to joining PTB, he was a Facility Security Manager and designated Facility Security Officer at the Port of Houston Authority.
Jorge is a graduate of American Military University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Security Management, and a Master's Degree in Homeland Security. Jorge has completed extensive training provided by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, satisfying the requirements for Infrastructure Protection, and is board certified as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) by the American Society for Industrial Security International (ASIS).
Jorge is an alumni of Leadership Tampa Bay class of 2018, a member of the American Association of Port Authorities Security Committee (AAPA), executive board member of the Tampa/Saint Petersburg Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC), as well as a member of the national and local chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). In 2021, Jorge was elected to serve as a board member on the Propeller Club of Tampa executive board.
Lisa Wolf-Chason joined the Port in November of 2019 as the Director of Communications. Wolf-Chason's experience spans public relations, crisis communications and media relations roles, as well as several years as an anchor, reporter and producer in broadcast journalism. She most recently worked as the Public Information Officer for Pinellas County Schools where she served as the district spokesperson and handled all media inquiries for the district. Prior to working for the school district, Wolf-Chason was a Media Relations Specialist with Moffitt Cancer Center.
As Director of Communications at Port Tampa Bay, Wolf-Chason's responsibilities include handling both external and internal communications, all media inquiries and serving as the PTB spokesperson. She will also be responsible for communicating the Port's vision and growth plans to the local Tampa Bay community and numerous maritime trade industry associations.
Wolf-Chason grew up in the Tampa Bay area and is a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts online at Arizona State University. She is an active mentor with Pinellas County Schools.
Mr. Matt Thompson is responsible for directing and leading all cruise and passenger vessel operations and processes for the port, and serves as the on-call Incident Commander and leads port emergency management programs.
Matt has over 30 years experience in maritime operations and emergency management. Prior to joining Port Tampa Bay in 2022, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard as Sector Commander of the St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay Area, Captain of the Port, Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, and Federal Maritime Security Coordinator while directing all Coast Guard operations along the West Coast of Florida and throughout the Tampa Bay region.
He holds a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College in Management, and a Joint Professional Military Education certification from the U.S. Air Force, Air Command and Staff College. Captain Matt Thompson was The Propeller Club Port of Tampa's Maritime Person of the Year for 2022, and his military person awards include: the Legion of Merit, three Meritorious Service Medals, four Commendation Medals, and three Achievement Medals.