Port NOLA swears in new member to Board of Commissioners

Photos courtesy Port NOLA.

Todd Murphy

Gov. John Bel Edwards has appointed Todd P. Murphy to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans.

Murphy succeeds Commissioner Jack C. Jensen. He was sworn in during Tuesday’s monthly Board meeting and plans to serve a five-year term.

“I want to thank Commissioner Jensen for his dedicated service to the Board of Commissioners,” Brandy D. Christian, Port NOLA President and CEO and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), said in a news release. “Under Jack’s tenure, Port NOLA made great strides, optimizing our existing maritime assets with $200 million in vital infrastructure investment, and gaining momentum with the Louisiana International Terminal to ensure Louisiana’s future competitiveness in global commerce.”

Murphy replaces Jensen as a representative of Jefferson Parish on the seven-member regional board. With the Port’s alignment with the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad in 2018, Port Commissioners also serve on the NOPB Commission, making Murphy NOPB’s newest commissioner as well.

“The Port of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Belt are pleased to welcome Todd Murphy to the Board of Commissioners,” Christian said in the news release. “We are a proud economic partner with Jefferson Parish, which serves as headquarters to our top shipping and logistics partners and home to hundreds of businesses that rely on Port activity. We look forward to Commissioner Murphy’s contributions as Port NOLA works to continue to bring business and opportunity to our entire jurisdiction of Jefferson Parish, Orleans and St. Bernard.”

Murphy is an economic development leader and a veteran of the financial sector, according to the news release. A Metairie native, Murphy currently serves as the chief operating officer of M Wealth Advisors – Raymond James. He spent nearly 10 years as president of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and Ex-Officio Administrator of the organization’s Charitable Foundation and Political Action Committee.

“I look forward to serving on this esteemed board to continue Port NOLA’s momentum as a competitive global gateway and an economic engine for Jefferson Parish, the region and the state of Louisiana,” Murphy said in the news release

Port NOLA and NOPB Commission Boards are unsalaried and serve five-year staggered terms. The Governor of Louisiana appoints members from a list of three nominations submitted by local civic, labor, education and maritime groups. The Board reflects the Port’s three-parish jurisdiction, with two members from Jefferson, four from Orleans and one from St. Bernard.

Chairman Joseph F. Toomy and Commissioner Murphy represent Jefferson Parish; Vice Chairman Walter J. Leger Jr., Secretary-Treasurer James J. Carter Jr., Commissioner Sharonda R. Williams and Commissioner Darryl D. Berger represent Orleans Parish; and Commissioner Jeanne E. Ferrer represents St. Bernard Parish.

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