The Port of Tacoma Commission named Clare Petrich Commission President and elected officers for 2009 on Jan. 22.
Positions among Commissioners rotate yearly, based on procedures approved by the Port Commission in 1999. Petrich replaces Port Commissioner Dick Marzano as Commission President. Marzano will serve as Assistant Secretary in 2009.
Port of Tacoma Commissioners serve four-year terms. The five-member Commission is the governing body of the Port, setting policy and authorizing major expenditures. Port Commission meetings and study sessions are open to the public and are held at The Fabulich Center (formerly Port Business Center), 3600 Port of Tacoma Road.
Pierce County voters first elected Petrich to the Port Commission in 1995. She was re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2007.
In addition to her Port Commission responsibilities, Petrich is Secretary for the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Tacoma-Pierce County Convention and Visitors Bureau and on the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County. She is Vice President of the Puget Sound Regional Council's Economic Development District Board, and she is a fellow of the American Leadership Forum. Petrich is also co-founder of the Commencement Bay Maritime Fest and served as Chair for Tall Ships Tacoma 2005 and 2008.
Petrich earned her undergraduate degree from Manhattanville College in New York. She also holds a master's degree from the University of Virginia.
2009 Port of Tacoma Commission:
• Clare Petrich, President
• R. Ted Bottiger, Vice President
• Don Johnson, Secretary
• Connie Bacon, Assistant Secretary
• Dick Marzano, Assistant Secretary
The Port of Tacoma is an economic engine for South Puget Sound, with more than 43,000 family-wage jobs in Pierce County and 113,000 jobs across Washington state related to Port activities. A major gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is among the largest container ports in North America, handling more than $36b in annual trade and about 1.9 million TEUs (20 ft equivalent container units). The Port is also a major center for bulk, breakbulk and project/heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles and trucks.
(www.portoftacoma.com)