Chairman Barry K. Dewberry and Dewberry Chief Executive Officer Donald E. Stone, Jr., announced the confirmation of Geraldine Knatz, PhD, following the firm's most recent board meeting. Dewberry is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Fairfax, Va.

Knatz is professor of the practice of policy and engineering at the University of Southern California where she teaches graduate-level courses in seaport policy and management, environmental impact analysis, and regulatory compliance. From 2006 until 2014, she served as executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's largest container port, which included overseeing the 1,000-person, $1 billion organization and setting the strategic and business vision for the port's growth and environmental leadership.

In addition to serving on Dewberry's board, Knatz is a senior advisor to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Port Services Network and founding chair of the World Ports Climate Initiative. She serves on the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board and was twice appointed by California governors to serve on the board of the California Ocean Protection Council.

She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Containerization and Intermodal Institute in 2014, the Peter Benchley Ocean Award from the Blue Frontier Campaign in 2012, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2014. Earlier this year, Knatz gave the keynote address, titled "Restructuring of Shipping and Port Industry: Trends and Challenges" at a conference in Vietnam hosted by the Ministry of Transport, Vietnam Maritime Administration.

"We are excited to welcome Geraldine to our board, and I look forward to the insight and experience she has," says Barry K. Dewberry. "An accomplished and well-regarded leader who has run large local government agencies, like the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; she will bring a unique perspective."

"Her experience in transportation, ports, and intermodal market segments is a great fit with Dewberry's strengths and our ongoing strategic growth," adds Stone.

"As I was considering the board position, I was excited to learn about Dewberry's desire to expand further into California, and grow its business with port authorities," says Knatz. "I've also been impressed in my discussions with Dewberry's leadership about how they regard their employees: they talk about employees like family. I'm looking forward to serving this organization."