Leadership

Paul Anderson is the President/Chief Executive Officer of Port Tampa Bay. Under Mr. Anderson’s leadership, Port Tampa Bay’s diverse lines of business have seen impressive gains, including overall record revenue.

Mr. Anderson joined Port Tampa Bay as President/CEO 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, Mr. Anderson served a five-year term ending in 2008. In addition, President Bush designated Anderson as the Commission’s Chairman and renominated him for a second five-year term.  A highlight of Mr. Anderson’s service included his appointment to the Committee on Marine Transportation, a cabinet-level strategy group responsible for the nation’s seaports, reporting directly to the president.
 
Mr. 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. He also served as an advisor on intermodal issues to former Florida governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist. 
 
Mr. Anderson served two terms as the Chairman of the Florida Ports Council, having been reelected by his fellow Florida’s port directors. During his tenure as chairman of the Florida Ports Council, the 2016 Florida Legislature passed, and Governor Rick Scott signed legislation that raised the annual Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development (FSTED) Council funding for Florida seaports from $15 million to $25 million. He holds multiple national leadership positions including the board of directors of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) and previously the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).  Mr. 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 Hillsborough EDC and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). He has also held numerous community leadership positions including Chair, Board of Trustees, Broward College; Chair, Broward Health Foundation; Board of Directors of The Orange Bowl Committee; and Board of Advisors of the South Florida PGA.
 
Mr. Anderson is a proud graduate of the University of Florida and completed the Senior Managers in Government program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Raul Alfonso is the Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer of Port Tampa Bay. Since joining the port in 2013 as Chief Commercial Officer, Raul has led the port’s commercial activities, with responsibilities for the areas in Real Estate, Planning, Marketing, Business Development and Branding.  In 2014, Raul was promoted to his current position, as Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, assuming additional responsibilities as second in command to the Port’s President and CEO.

During the past five years (2013-2018), Port Tampa Bay’s commercial activities have enjoyed record performance across its diverse lines of business, with growth in cargo tonnage, cruise passengers, revenues, and Real Estate activity for new and existing tenants.

Also during this time, Port Tampa Bay has embarked on implementing its visionary Strategic and Master Plans (Port Vision 2030), focusing on achieving the port’s long-term goals, and securing its future, as West Central Florida’s principal economic engine.

Raul came to Port Tampa Bay with over 31 years of Port industry experience, involving diverse leadership roles that have resulted in commercial and business development successes at the ports of Miami (PORTMIAMI) and Jacksonville (JAXPORT) in Florida, and the ports of Freeport, Bahamas, Balboa and Cristobal in Panamá.

Raul is a proud graduate of Florida International University, in Miami, FL. He is fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese. Throughout his career, Raul has served as port / maritime and logistics expert, as speaker at numerous domestic and international trade conferences.

Charles E. Klug is the Principal Counsel for Port Tampa Bay; Florida’s largest and most cargo-diverse seaport. Mr. Klug is currently responsible for advising the Board of Commissioners and the President & CEO and as well as overseeing the Port Strategic and Master Plan.   In past, he has served as Chief Legal Officer  and General Counsel for Port Tampa Bay since 2004 and served as Deputy Port Director for Administration, from 2008 to 2013.

In addition, he recently served as Interim Port Director from September through December of 2012 during Port Tampa Bay’s search for a new Port Director and CEO. Prior to joining Port Tampa Bay, Mr. Klug was a partner with the law firm of Gray Robinson, P.A., where he concentrated his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, local government, land use and environmental law. Mr. Klug received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida, College of Business in 1983 (with Honors) and a J.D. from the University of Florida, College of Law in 1986. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1986 and has been certified by the Florida Bar as specialist in Real Estate Law since 1993 and as a specialist in City, County and Local Government Law since 1998. He is an "AV" rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell and currently serves on the Florida Bar's Real Estate Certification Committee. Mr Klug was recognized as the "Top Corporate Counsel for Government and Non-profits" by the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2014 based on leadership, ethical standards and exemplary professional skills.

Ram Kancharla is Vice President of Planning and Development for Florida’s largest port. For three decades, he has overseen Port Tampa Bay’s capital improvements, strategic planning, economic development, capital resource management, and inter-agency coordination and outreach at the state and federal level. He has overseen $1.5 billion in capital projects and secured more than $600 million in external funding.

Kancharla has a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Florida and is certified by the American Association of Port Authorities as a Professional Port Manager (PPM^®). He is an alumnus of Leadership Florida, Leadership Tampa, and represents the port of Tampa on various committees involved in freight movement, intermodal planning, finance, trade, logistics and the maritime industry. Kancharla was appointed by the U.S. Commerce Secretary to serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. 

He is active in the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Bay Partnership, Government Finance Officers Association, and American Association of Port Authorities, Florida Council for Public Private Partnerships. Kancharla advises or serves on the boards of Floridians for Better Transportation, Economic Club of Tampa Bay, the USC Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management Executive Board, and the USF Center for Urban Transportation Research. Kancharla was a Global Advisory Council member for Columbia-based Innovation in Logistics Supply Chain and Port Management (LOGPORT), and was a U.S. Maritime Administration Strong Ports focus group member. He is an active Rotarian and serves on several community boards including Feeding America.

Ken Washington began his employment with Port Tampa Bay in October 1996 and was promoted to his current position, Chief Information Officer, in 1998. In this capacity, Mr. Washington provides strategic oversight of organizational-wide information technology activities, as well as oversees the development, execution, and evaluation of all technological frameworks and infrastructure for Port Tampa Bay.

Mr. Washington brings 35 years of experience in the field of information technology and has a diverse background in both corporate and governmental settings, with extensive experience in enterprise computing, telecommunications and implementations.

Mr. Washington received his formal education from Hillsborough Community College, Harold Washington College, and the University of South Florida. He obtained his professional certifications as Master Certified Novell Engineer, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and Microsoft Certified Professional.

Prior to joining the Port Authority, Mr. Washington was employed by the Florida Aquarium as Manager of MIS, GTE as a Research Analyst, IBM as a Senior Technician, and served in the U.S. Army in Military Intelligence.  

Bruce Laurion was appointed to the position of Director of Engineering at Port Tampa Bay in 1998 and was promoted to Sr. Director of Engineering and Facilities Management in 2005 and then Vice President Engineering in 2013. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Iowa. In his position Laurion is in charge of engineering activities that include managing the 17 person Engineering Department, outside engineering consultants and contractors that are involved in the Port’s $60 million annual capital program. He is also responsible for the 20 person Facilities Management Department that performs maintenance and repair of Port facilities.

Lane Ramsfield has more than three decades of experience with commercial and industrial real estate ventures including multiple asset classes within the Real Estate industry. Mr. Ramsfield was previously employed by Trammell Crow Company, Commercial Net Lease Realty, and Orange County Government. His principal responsibilities included Executive Management of Business Units in Real Estate Development and Investment. During his tenure with these organizations, Mr. Ramsfield was tasked with leading the planning, leasing, acquisitions, disposition, entitlement, design and construction of numerous projects and properties. Over the span of his career, Lane has been directly responsible for the development and investment of properties with a total value of over $3.5 billion accumulating to 15,000,000 SF total including 8,000,000 SF leasable area.

Currently Mr. Ramsfield serves as Vice President of Real Estate at Port Tampa Bay, where he is responsible for acquisition, disposition and leasing of industrial properties of all Port Tampa Bay Real Estate business. Mr. Ramsfield has a B. S. from North Dakota State University, College of Engineering and Architecture.

Stephen Fry is the Vice President of Finance for Port Tampa Bay. He oversees the Port’s financial records and reporting requirements, manages the annual operating and capital budgets, debt and investment portfolios, project grant funds, and the risk management program.

Previously, Fry served as the Director of Finance for three private equity consumer companies, most recently working at Plano Synergy. Fry has more than 15 years of finance and accounting experience serving the auto, consumer, and engineering industries. He also has several years of experience as an operations and project manager and as a certified public accountant.

Fry holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University. He is a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

A native of Lakeland, Florida, Clay Hollis has been working in the political arena since the summer of 2010, serviing as Travel Aide to then-Rep. Adam Putnam's campaign for Commissioner of Agriculture. In 2011, Hollis worked in Washington, D.C., first as an intern for Majority Leader Eric Cantor and later in the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Upon graduation from Southern Methodist University with a major in Public Policy, Hollis moved to Washington, D.C. in early 2012 and began working for Rep. Tom Rooney.  He performed various roles in the office, ending his tenure as the Senior Legislative Assistant, focusing on agriculture, transportation, engergy, and water policy, among other issue areas.  Given Rooney's position on the Appropriation Committee, Hollis was able to work on spending levels and report laguage for the USDA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the DOT.  In February 2017, he accepted a position of Director of External Affairs for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  In this role, he served as the industry-facing representative of Commissioner Putnam's office, traveling the state to speak and represent Commissioner Putnam at industry functions, trade organizations, and legislative delegations. 

In February of 2019, Hollis began his tenure at Port Tampa Bay serving as Chief of Staff to President/CEO Paul Anderson. Combining his polciy, political, and industry relations experience, Hollis works closely with Anderson and the senior staff to facilitate the numerous ongoing projects at the port, as well as the local, state, and federal relationships integral to the port's success.

This position is currently vacant.

Katie Mahoney is the Creative Director of Communications, Marketing and Branding at Port Tampa Bay. She is responsible for strategic messaging, advertising, and the execution of all creative internal and external content for the Port. She serves as an integral support to marketing and business development, engaging companies on both the national and international stage. 

As a creative director with more than nearly two decades of experience working on national accounts, Katie has promoted some of the world's most recognizable brands. She mastered messaging for TV, web, and digital content for both large and small advertising agencies. She's managed teams of designers, writers and developers for companies including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Delta Airlines. 

Katie has mastered the art of understanding of what customers want - from their first impulse of desire to purchasing a product. Katie received an undergraduate degree in advertising and communications from Michigan State University. She also graduated from Portfolio Center in Atlanta with a speciality in art direction.

Samara Sodos is the Director of Public Relations for Port Tampa Bay, handling all media inquiries and proactively showcasing the Port’s crucial role in our community, state, and country. Sam has experience in both the private and public sectors of the public relations arena, managing corporate relations for AT&T and serving as the spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Previously, Sam was an award-winning TV news reporter, spending more than a decade at the NBC affiliate in Tampa. During her time at WFLA-TV, she wrote for the Tampa Tribune and its online partner: covering two wars, countless hurricanes, high profile murder cases and dozens of national and statewide political campaigns. Sam also worked for NBC News as a reporter and producer, covering the Ferguson riots and several renowned criminal cases. She previously worked as a reporter for the NBC affiliate in Roanoke, and was an anchor and reporter at WTMJ-TV in her hometown of Milwaukee. Sam won dozens of awards for her reporting, from regional Emmy awards to the National Edward R. Murrow award. Sam graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Patrick Blair is the Director of Engineering at Port Tampa Bay, joining the Port in 2010. During his time here, Patrick has performed the duties of Structural Engineer, Senior Professional Engineer, and Project Manager. He currently oversees all construction, engineering, surveying and dredging projects for Port Tampa Bay.

Patrick has more than 20 years of engineering and construction experience.  Before joining the team at Port Tampa Bay, Patrick was a structural design consultant at Weber and Tinnen Structural Engineers, and has been a principal and owner at several structural consulting firms. He has also been a structural forensic expert on hundreds of cases acting as an expert witness.

Patrick is a Licensed Professional Engineer, and Special Inspector in the State of Florida. Patrick has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida, with a Capstone in Structural Engineering.

Patrick served as a decorated Sergeant in the Unites States Army, receiving two NATO Medals for his participation in the Kosovo and Bosnia campaigns.

Ronald Glessing is the Director of Real Estate at Port Tampa Bay. His duties include establishing and strengthening customer relations, expanding tenant outreach events, and helping to advance the Port’s leasing, acquisition and planning services.

Ron has more than 20 years of corporate real estate and portfolio management experience.  Before joining the team at Port Tampa Bay, Ron was a Senior Vice President at two of the country’s largest financial service organizations: Citigroup and The PNC Financial Services Group, where he was acknowledged for developing successful growth strategies, and implementing long-term master plans.

Ron has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics, from St. John’s University, and serves as a member of the Kairos Prison Ministry International and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute Ministry Team.