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Board and Staff

Port Info

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans consists of seven commissioners. They are unsalaried and serve five-year staggered terms. The Governor of Louisiana appoints Board members from a list of three nominations submitted by 19 local civic, labor, education and maritime groups.

The Board reflects the Port’s three-parish jurisdiction, with four members from Orleans Parish, two from Jefferson Parish and one from St. Bernard Parish. Chairman Laney J. Chouest and Commissioner Jack C. Jensen represent Jefferson Parish. Vice-Chairman Arnold B. Baker, Secretary-Treasurer Tara C. Hernandez, and Commissioners Darryl D. Berger and William H. Langenstein represent Orleans Parish. Commissioner Charles H. Ponstein represents St. Bernard Parish.

Senior Staff
Board Meetings
Past Board Meetings

Laney J. Chouest

Chairman

Bio

Laney J. Chouest

Chairman

Laney J. Chouest, Chairman, appointed to the Board June 2014, is the owner and developer of NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana, one of the largest and most modern motorsports destinations in the U.S.

He is a Louisiana State University graduate with a medical degree from LSU Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, and a former family practitioner. Chouest joined his family business, Edison Chouest Offshore, in 1983 and served in many aspects of company operations including design, construction, and management of various offshore support vessels. During his tenure, Edison Chouest Offshore grew into a major worldwide force within the deepwater oil and gas exploration and production industry.

Chouest previously served on the boards of two public companies, the Kaman Corporation and Deeptech International. He has also served in many industry roles as chairman of the Offshore Marine Service Association and on the boards of directors for the National Ocean Industry Association and the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee.

Chouest brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the global marine business to the Port and is currently active in promoting the development of the Churchill Farms area of Jefferson Parish and evolving New Orleans into a major motorsports destination.

Arnold B. Baker

Vice-Chairman

Bio

Arnold B. Baker

Vice-Chairman

Arnold B. Baker, Vice-Chairman, appointed to the Board April 2015, is owner and founder of New Orleans-based Baker Ready Mix and Building Materials.

Baker currently serves on the boards of the New Orleans Board of Trade, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, National Black Chamber of Commerce, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, Kate Middleton Elementary School, and the Bayou District Foundation. He is a former board member of the New Orleans Business Council, Greater New Orleans Inc., New Orleans Bureau of Governmental Research and the Louisiana Airport Commission.

Prior to founding Baker Ready Mix in 2003, Baker served as Managing Member of Centergy Development Group, as Assistant to the Mayor of New Orleans for Policy, Planning, and Development, and as a field executive for several of the nation’s largest mall development and management firms. He is a Texas State University honors graduate and former athlete, with advanced marketing director certifications from the International Council of Shopping Centers Management Institute.

Baker grew up in a military family moving frequently throughout the United State and Europe, ultimately choosing New Orleans as his “hometown.” He is married to Tracee Dundas, the producer of New Orleans Fashion Week and owner of Aboutfaces Model & Talent Management.

Tara C. Hernandez

Secretary-Treasurer

Bio

Tara C. Hernandez

Secretary-Treasurer

Tara C. Hernandez, Secretary-Treasurer, appointed to the Board July 2016, is President of New Orleans-based JCH Properties, a boutique urban real estate development firm that specializes in the conversion of underutilized real estate into residential, commercial and mixed-use redevelopment projects. She has led or participated in the development of residential, mixed-use, mixed-income and commercial development projects in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri, often involving public-private partnerships.

Hernandez holds a finance degree from Loyola University New Orleans and a Master of Science in real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is active on several national, local industry and non-profit boards. Hernandez is the immediate past chair of the board of directors for Greater New Orleans Inc., the region’s foremost economic development agency. She also serves on the executive boards of the Idea Village and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation.

Hernandez was recent chair of the Urban Land Institute’s National Hines Competition Jury and has received local awards from the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans and New Orleans Business Alliance. She brings a wealth of experience in real estate development and entrepreneurial endeavors to the Board and is a respected leader within the Greater New Orleans business community.

Darryl D. Berger

Commissioner

Bio

Darryl D. Berger

Commissioner

Darryl D. Berger, Commissioner, appointed to the Board February 2017, is the Founder and Chairman of The Berger Company Inc. and an investor, developer, and financier of real estate. Berger’s company has owned or developed in excess of $1 billion of real estate, including more than two dozen retail shopping centers, various hotels, office buildings, multi-family projects and parking facilities.

Berger earned his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from Tulane University. He currently serves as chairman of the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corp., chairman of the Board of Trustees of Tulane University, and is a member and former vice-chairman of the Board of Trust of Vanderbilt University. Berger also serves as a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Berger has served as the inaugural chairman and founding member of the French Quarter Festival, a founding member of the French Quarter Management District, and founding member of the Vieux Carre Commission Foundation. He also currently serves as a founding member and current chairman of the board of the University Medical Center. He and his wife, Louellen, are natives and lifelong residents of New Orleans.

William H. Langenstein

Commissioner

Bio

William H. Langenstein

Commissioner

William H. Langenstein, Commissioner, appointed to the Board February 2018, is one of Louisiana’s leading tax, corporate and transaction attorneys at Chaffe, McCall. He is an honorary consul to the Republic of Korea and a member of the New Orleans Estate Planning Council.

Langenstein earned a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans, received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Louisiana State University and is a recent graduate of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. He is a board-certified tax attorney, a licensed title insurance agent and an inactive certified public accountant.

Langenstein is a member of the New Orleans Economic Development Advisory Committee and the Louisiana Children’s Museum Early Learning Village Steering Committee. He also serves on several boards, including Greater New Orleans Inc., the World Trade Center New Orleans (Transportation Committee), New Orleans Board of Trade, and the G.N.O. Educational Television Foundation. Langenstein is a former member of the National Kidney Foundation and has served or is currently serving on several corporate boards including Koerner Capital LLC; IBERIABANK Corporation; Geocent LLC; Kavanagh Family Foundation; Maritime Holdings LLC; and Intermarine LLC.

Langenstein has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, as a Top Lawyer by New Orleans Magazine, and recognized as a City Business Leadership in Law Honoree.

Charles H. Ponstein

Commissioner

Bio

Charles H. Ponstein

Commissioner

Charles H. Ponstein, Commissioner, appointed to the Board March 2018, is a landlord and owner of several commercial and industrial buildings. A lifelong resident of St. Bernard Parish, Ponstein served as Councilman-At-Large from 1992-1996 and Parish President from 1996-2004. He has served as a member of the St. Bernard Parish Chamber of Commerce, St. Bernard Economic Development Commission, Regional Planning Commission and United Way of New Orleans.

Ponstein received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of New Orleans in 1971 after graduating from Holy Cross High School in 1967. He opened Ponstein’s Food Store, the first self-service gas station in the New Orleans metropolitan area, in May 1972. He and his wife, Claudette, have three children, Jeffrey, Neil and Sadie, and three grandchildren, Payton, Noelle and Roman.

Ponstein brings a legacy of leadership and public service in St. Bernard Parish that will benefit both the Port and Public Belt Railroad.

Jack C. Jensen, Jr.

Commissioner

Bio

Jack C. Jensen, Jr.

Commissioner

Jack C. Jensen, Jr., Commissioner, appointed to the Board June 2018, is the founder of Transportation Consultants Inc. d/b/a TCI Trucking and Warehousing and has built TCI into the largest independent trucking and warehousing company in the New Orleans region. Jensen is a graduate of Holy Cross High School and the University of New Orleans with over 40 years’ experience in the transportation, logistics, supply, value-added, import/export, port development and trucking industries.

Having committed more than $70 million in capital investments in industrial property in New Orleans, with nearly 50% of his TCI Trucking employees within a 3-mile radius of his Ninth Ward headquarters, Jensen has realized a dream of positively affecting the surrounding community in which his company has invested.

Jensen has served on the boards of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Covenant House and Holy Cross High School. He has assisted with Catholic Charities of New Orleans, Bridge House, Desire NOLA, and the Save Our Lake Foundation. Jensen was recognized as Young Leadership Council’s 2009 Role Model of the Year, and as an Honorary Life Member of the International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers of New Orleans. He and his wife, Cindy, have seven children, six of whom assist with managing the family businesses.