Port of Milwaukee promotes port director

JOC Staff |

Paul Vornholt has formally assumed the duties of Municipal Port Director at the Port of Milwaukee. He had served as Acting Port Director for the past two-and-a-half years. Vornholt was formally nominated by Mayor Tom Barrett on May 12th, confirmed by the Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday, and sworn in to office Thursday.

“Paul’s accomplishments as Acting Port Director made him, without question, the best person to continue running the Port of Milwaukee,” Mayor Barrett said. “His financial stewardship, his administrative leadership, and his strategic approach have put our Port on solid footing.”

Vornholt’s background includes experience in public sector management and government relations at the local, state, and federal levels of government. He previously directed the City of Milwaukee’s Intergovernmental Relations Division, and, prior to that, worked with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and as the Assistant County Executive in Brown County, Wisconsin.

The President of Milwaukee’s Board of Harbor Commissioners, Tim Hoelter, strongly supported Vornholt’s nomination.

“Paul has proven himself as an able and passionate leader. His accomplishments at the Port are a testament to his capabilities. Based on my 19 years of service on the Board of Harbor Commissioners, I feel strongly there is no individual better suited to serve as Milwaukee’s Municipal Port Director,” Hoelter said.

The Port of Milwaukee is an economic entity of city government governed by the seven-member Board of Harbor Commissioners, a panel appointed by Mayor Barrett and confirmed by the Common Council. It administers operations on the 467 acres that make up the Port. It promotes shipping and commerce throughout the region by providing access to domestic and international ships, rail, and over-the-road transportation.