[Skip to Content]
Port of Oakland Mobile Logo
JOIN USFull Menu
Image of Port of Oakland has Two New Commissioners

Port of Oakland has Two New Commissioners

Press Releases, Seaport, Airport, Commercial Real Estate, Community
March 30th, 2009

Press Releases

For Immediate Release
March 30, 2009

Port of Oakland has Two New Commissioners

Oakland, Calif.—March 30, 2008 – The Port of Oakland has two new Port Commissioners, Pamela Calloway and James Head. The commissioners were nominated by the Mayor of Oakland and appointed by the Oakland City Council. Former Port Board President Darlene Ayers-Johnson and former Port Commissioner Patricia Scates served 2 full terms and retired from the Port Board. “Commissioners Ayers-Johnson and Scates have donated a significant amount of their time over the past eight years to the Port,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar Benjamin. “I thank them for sharing their expertise and providing leadership that resulted in many benefits for our community.”

Commissioner James Head has served as Director of Programs for the San Francisco Foundation, a regional Community Foundation which provides resources and support to organizations serving five Bay Area communities. He has over 30 years of experience in the field of philanthropy and grant making, nonprofit management and technical assistance, community and economic development and public interest law. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2004, Mr. Head was President of the National Economic Development and Law Center (NEDLC) for 18 years. Additionally, Mr. Head has served for many years as Legal Counsel of the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) and has been a member of numerous Foundation Advisory Boards, including the Open Society Foundation of New York, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Michigan, and the Columbian Foundation of San Francisco. Mr. Head received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law and has bar memberships in Georgia, Florida, and California.

Commissioner Pamela Calloway serves as Public/Private Ventures’ (P/PV) Vice President of Program Development and as the director of its California office, focusing on developing and managing projects to test innovative anti-poverty efforts in California and the West Coast. Most recently, she served as a principal at Calloway & Associates, where her clients included the California Workforce Association, the City and County of San Francisco, and Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums. Prior to that, she was president and CEO of the Private Industry Council of San Francisco, Inc., the nonprofit agency that administers employment, training and research services to San Francisco employers and job seekers at the direction of the Workforce Investment San Francisco Board. She has also helped displaced Alameda County military base workers find employment as the director of the Workers to Business Owners Project, and served as counsel at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the National Bank of Washington. Calloway is a trustee on the United States Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council; she also sits on the boards of the California Workforce Association, Workforce Investment San Francisco Board and the Chinatown Community Development Center. She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Fisk University in Nashville, TN, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University.

“James Head and Pamela Calloway bring extensive experience to the Port Board of Commissioners that will greatly benefit our Port and surrounding community in moving forward during these challenging economic times,” commented Omar Benjamin. “I am looking forward to working with them over the coming years.”

About the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners: The Port of Oakland is governed by a seven-member Board of Port Commissioners. The Board oversees the use of income from Port properties, approximately 16,000 acres stretching from the borders of Emeryville in the north to San Leandro in the south. They are residents of the City of Oakland and serve four-year terms without compensation. Their responsibilities are vast and require a great deal of their time, all donated to the Port.

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 third busiest containerport on the U.S. West Coast. Oakland International Airport offers 150 daily nonstop flights to 26 destinations; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square, as well as hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Please visit www.portofoakland.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Port of Oakland
Marilyn Sandifur, Port Spokesperson
Media & Public Relations Department
(510) 627-1193
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur