Oakland Board of Port Commissioners Approves Strategic Hires

Press Releases

For Immediate Release
March 15, 2013

Oakland Board of Port Commissioners Approves Strategic Hires

Social Responsibility Division Director and Chief Technology Officer Positions Filled

Social Responsibility Division Director Chief Technology Officer
Amy Tharpe
Social Responsibility Division Director
Ron Puccinelli
Chief Technology Officer

March 15, 2013 –Oakland, Calif.– The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners approved two strategic hires on Thursday, March 14, 2013 following nationwide executive searches. The Port Board approved the hiring of Ms. Amy Tharpe to the position of Social Responsibility Division (SRD) Director and Mr. Ron Puccinelli to the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Ms. Amy Tharpe and Mr. Ron Puccinelli officially start their positions with the Port of Oakland at the beginning of April.

Port Board President Gilda Gonzales stated, “Leadership in the arenas of social responsibility and technology are both critical to the Port – so that we can perform optimally as an organization leveraging the latest in technology, while also ensuring that our performance reaches and benefits all of our community, especially our neighboring communities.”

Port Acting Executive Director Deborah Ale Flint commented, “I look forward to working with our two new team members to continue the Port’s transition to a new era of transparency, accountability, and innovative public sector leadership. The Port must be a leader in both technology and social responsibility to best accomplish our mission as stewards of the incredible public asset that is the Port of Oakland.”

As the Port’s SRD Director, Ms. Tharpe will partner with community and businesses to promote positive social and economic changes, and develop a social responsibility strategy that will add value to the Port’s business development activities and to the communities in Oakland and throughout the region.

Prior to being hired by the Port, Ms. Tharpe managed San Francisco’s HOPE SF Initiative. In this role, she served as the city lead on programmatic aspects of the initiative which included real estate development strategies, policy development, human capital/services program design, resource development, evaluation and communications. Prior to assuming that role, Ms. Tharpe served as the Director of Policy and Planning for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing. In this position, she worked with the Board of Supervisors, congressional members, local and federal agencies, and various non-profits to develop strategies, implement programs and identify resources to ensure that public investments and affordable housing programs yielded positive economic results for community stakeholders.

Ms. Tharpe has held positions with the Fannie Mae Foundation, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development of the District of Columbia as well as other civic and charitable organizations. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley and her Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University.

As the Port’s CTO, Mr. Puccinelli will provide leadership for the Port’s Information Technology (IT) Division, focusing on the integration and performance of Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and technology solutions to support the Port’s strategic plan priorities.

Prior to the Port, Mr. Puccinelli was the Director of Information Technology with the City of Concord since October 2001. Mr. Puccinelli played an integral role in transforming the Information Technology Department’s service delivery model resulting in higher internal client satisfaction, improved service levels and enhanced staff skill sets to align with the city’s long-term goals and objectives. Mr. Puccinelli implemented best practice models to expand the IT Department’s capacity to deliver business value by utilizing strong project management principles, collaborating with stakeholders and executing lean IT principles to meet the technological needs of Concord. Mr. Puccinelli holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.

Media Contacts:

Robert Bernardo
Communications Manager
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1401
Click here to contact Robert Bernardo

Marilyn Sandifur
Port Spokesperson
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1193
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur

 

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