Rodger Rees, director and CEO of the Port of Galveston, was elected president of the Texas Ports Association during the group's Oct. 21 membership meeting. He will serve a two-year term. The association represents 21 maritime ports and industry affiliates along the Gulf Coast and inland waterways.
Rees has been on the association's board since 2023 and has led the Port of Galveston since January 2018. His duties include overseeing cruise and cargo operations and carrying out a 20-year strategic master plan for the port's 840-acre facility. He previously served as deputy executive director and chief financial officer at Port Canaveral in Florida. In his new role, he will work with association members and Executive Director Jade Gillespie to seek funding for port infrastructure, ship channel improvements, and road and rail connections. The effort is aimed at the 2027 legislative session.
Rees said there has never been a more important time to support Texas ports, and he called Texas the 8th largest economy in the world. Gillespie said Rees's experience will help the association seek legislative support. The Port of Galveston is ranked the fourth-busiest cruise home port in the United States and projects a record 445 sailings and 3.9 million passenger movements in 2026. About 3 million tons of cargo move through Galveston Harbor each year.