Press Releases
July 24, 2014
Oakland Board of Port Commissioners Elects New Officers
Newly elected officers provide legal, business, and financial expertise to continue to serve the Port and its stakeholders
Oakland, California – July 24, 2014 – Today the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners approved a resolution officially ratifying the election of new board officers, which took place at the regular Port Board meeting on July 24, 2014. The Port Board selected Commissioner Alan S. Yee to serve as President, Commissioner Cestra “Ces” Butner as First Vice-President, and Commissioner Earl S. Hamlin as Second Vice-President. The Board elects new officers at the beginning of every fiscal year; the Port’s Fiscal Year 2014-2015 began on July 1, 2014.
Outgoing Port Board President “Ces” Butner commented, “I am proud of the policies and other decisions that my board colleagues made over the last year that supported the Port’s many successes. We witnessed the ground breaking of the Oakland Global and Brooklyn Basin projects, which will, respectively, create more maritime-related jobs and a beautiful new neighborhood on the Oakland waterfront. Oakland International Airport now offers the first-ever direct flights in Northern California between Oakland and Scandinavia. And we’ve seen the revitalization of Jack London Square with the addition of more restaurants, office tenants, and wonderful public events. I look forward to continuing to serve on the Board with our new president, Commissioner Alan Yee.”
Commissioner Yee said, “It is an honor and a privilege to be selected as president of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners. I will continue to help the Port realize its highest potential for the City of Oakland, the region, and the State of California. I am pleased to accept this new role and am committed to serving my fellow commissioners, Port staff, and our stakeholders.”
President Yee – Alan S. Yee has more than 30 years of legal experience. Commissioner Yee serves as partner in the law firm of Siegel & Yee. Mr. Yee has litigated commercial cases involving trade and international commerce, representing businesses in trade with companies in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1974 from Princeton University and his juris doctorate in 1978 from the University of California’s Boalt Hall School of Law in Berkeley.
Commissioner Yee also has an extensive history of community involvement and public service. Mr. Yee was elected as a trustee of the Peralta Community Colleges and served as its president in 1994. He was appointed to the City of Oakland’s Police Review Commission and served as its chair 1997-2000. Mr. Yee has also served on the boards of the Chinatown/Central District Community Development Council for the City of Oakland, the Oakland Intergovernmental Council and the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission. Commissioner Yee has received numerous commendations and awards for his service, including: State Bar of California President’s Pro Bono Service Award, 2004; Asian Health Services 35th Anniversary Honoree Award, 2009; East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation Gerald Leo Award, 2008; Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Award for Promoting Community Development, 2003; City of Oakland City Council Proclamation for Exemplary Services to the Community, 2004; and City of Oakland District 4 Local Hero Award, 2007.
First VP Butner – Commissioner Cestra “Ces” Butner is the President, CEO and owner of Horizon Beverage Company, an Oakland-based beverage distributorship that supplies retailers in Northern Alameda County and Western Contra Costa County. Upon graduating from the University of Missouri in 1975 and working in Minneapolis and Chicago for Fortune 500 companies, Mr. Butner settled in Oakland in 1981, working for a local beverage distributorship. By age 33, he became the youngest owner of an Anheuser-Busch wholesale operation in the country. Through acquisitions and expansions over the last 25 years, Mr. Butner has more than tripled the size of Horizon Beverage Company revenues placing it among Black Enterprise’s top 100 Black Owned Businesses nationally. His community service work includes serving on the boards of the East Bay YMCA, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and as president of the Sequoyah Country Club. Mr. Butner lives in Oakland with his wife Teresa and two daughters Raquel and Andrea.
Second VP Hamlin – Commissioner Earl S. Hamlin has degrees from Oberlin College (AB) and the University of California, Berkeley (JD & MBA). His actual job title of General Whatnot at investment bank Hambrecht & Quist not only described his varied activities there (financial analysis, corporate finance and venture capital) and a diverse range of company clients (anything outside of technology), but is an apt metaphor for his work and vocational experiences – warehouseman, real estate sales, community organizer, political operative (small time), Alameda County Planning Commissioner (State County Planning Commissioner of the Year-2001), and Treasurer, Chabot Space & Science Center. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation, was a founding member of the San Francisco Valuation Roundtable, and has been a director of several companies.
Commissioner Hamlin’s community activities include Alameda County Economic Development Advisory Board, Oakland Blue Ribbon Housing Commission, Alameda County Transportation Commission CAWG, and Elder, Montclair Presbyterian Church. Mr. Hamlin enjoys gardening, is the family genealogist and learned from his grandfather the art of storytelling. He and his wife, Bonnie Hamlin, have been Oakland residents for 41-years.
About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport and Oakland International Airport. The Port’s jurisdiction includes 20 miles of waterfront from the Bay Bridge through Oakland International Airport. 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 Contact:
Robert Bernardo,
Communications Manager
Click here to contact Robert Bernardo
(510) 627-1401
Marilyn Sandifur,
Port Spokesperson
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur
(510) 627-1193