PORT OF OAKLAND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of Social Responsibility
- Social Responsibility Division
Amy Tharpe was appointed Director of the Social Responsibility Division (SRD) on March 14, 2013. She is responsible for partnering with the 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. Ms. Tharpe has also 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.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Commercial Real Estate Representative
Job Titles:
- Second Vice President
- City of Oakland Compliance Officer
- Second Vice President of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners
- Secretary - Treasurer of the Alameda County Building Trades Council
Andreas Cluver was elected to serve as Second Vice President of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners on July 6, 2023. He has also served as a President of the Port Board, prior to Barbara Leslie. He served two years as President from July 2020 to July 2022. Previously, he held the position of First Vice President from July 2018 until July 2020. President Cluver joined the Board in February 2016.
Mr. Cluver is Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda County Building Trades Council and has been working in the labor movement for 16 years. Mr. Cluver served as a business representative for the building trades in Alameda County as well as internationally in Southern Africa as a program director with the AFL-CIO.
As a City of Oakland compliance officer, Cluver worked with community groups to help ensure access for Oakland residents to union apprenticeships and jobs generated by public works projects. He has also worked with local community groups to strengthen their participation in development planning and helped to create policies related to downtown development intended to benefit Oakland's neighborhoods.
Mr. Cluver has evaluated job training programs designed to assist farm and dislocated workers. He worked in Mozambique as a project manager overseeing the construction of schools, health posts, and roads. Mr. Cluver holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
Commissioner Cluver currently serves on several boards and commissions including the Oakland Education Cabinet, the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy and the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board.
Commissioner Arabella Martinez joined the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in February 2016. She is the founder and first CEO of the Unity Council in Oakland, CA and she spearheaded the Fruitvale Village project. Over 15 years her work generated more than $200 million in support of the Unity Council, its transit village development and open space initiatives. After retiring from the Unity Council in 2005, Ms. Martinez joined the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) Board of Trustees. In 2O14 she became LCF's interim CEO to help build the Latino philanthropic institution in California. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter appointed Ms. Martinez Assistant Secretary for the Office of Human Development Services, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, making her the first Latina appointed to a sub-cabinet level position in the history of the nation. Martinez is a graduate of UC Berkeley and received a Master of Social Welfare (MSW) from UC Berkeley in 1966.
Ms. Martinez has served on more than two dozen boards including Oakland Business Development Corporation, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Advisory Committee and the National Council of La Raza. Martinez currently serves as the Vice Chair of LCF's Board of Trustees and Raza Development Fund. She has also been recognized with more than 25 honors and awards at local and national levels over her extensive career including the Oakland Tribune's Oakland Citizen of the Year, the National Council of La Raza's President's Award, the San Francisco's League of Women Voters', "A Woman Who Could Be President", and the California Alumni Association's "Excellence in Achievement Award."
Barbara Leslie was elected to a second term as President of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners on July 6, 2023. She was initially elected to serve as Board President on July 7, 2022. Previously, she served as First Vice President from July 2020 until July 2022. She held the position of Second Vice President from July 2019 until July 2020. President Leslie joined the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners in December 2018. She has more than 25 years' experience in both public service and local, state and federal advocacy for business. Ms. Leslie is the President and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Leslie has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, including former service as an Assistant to the City Manager during the Brown Administration and more than a decade directing External Affairs and philanthropy for AT&T in the East Bay. Ms. Leslie has also held key public policy positions with the Oakland Association of Realtors, the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Port of Oakland.
In 2014 Ms. Leslie became the first woman President and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce in its 112-year history. She has represented the Chamber on a variety of civic boards including the Oakland Thrives Initiative, Oakland Safety Impact Table, Oakland Promise Advisory Board, Oakland Small Business Task Force, and the Oakland Dialogue. Ms. Leslie has served as a political appointee to the Measure X Strong Mayor Task Force, Chair of the Oakland Workforce Investment Board, Board Member
for the Oakland African American Chamber Foundation, the Youth Employment Partnership as well as the Hayward, Walnut Creek, Oakland and Berkeley Chambers of Commerce.
Ms. Leslie holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Economics and a Master's in Public Administration. She has been a resident of Oakland for the past 25 years, where she and her husband have raised two children.
Job Titles:
- Harbor Facilities Maintenance Manager
Bryan Brandes was appointed Port of Oakland Maritime Director June 29, 2020. He's responsible for all shipping and related activity at the Seaport. Mr. Brandes is a 25-year maritime industry veteran. Before joining the Port, Mr. Brandes was Vice President, Pacific Southwest Region Operations for FlexiVan Leasing, an intermodal chassis leasing company. He was previously Director of West Coast Operations for French-based ocean carrier CMA-CGM. He oversaw the operations of 20 terminals at five U.S. West Coast ports and was responsible for interface with alliance partners, port authorities, trucking companies, rail partners, pilots, tug companies and regulatory agencies. He began his maritime industry career with The Maersk organization where he rose to senior leadership roles with APM Terminals and Maersk Line. Mr. Brandes has served on the boards of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) and the Propeller Club of Los Angeles/Long Beach. He served for 12 years as a member and Chair of the California State Historical Resources Commission which administers federally and state mandated historic preservation programs to protect California's archaeological and historical resources. Mr. Brandes earned an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from San Diego State University.
Bryant L. Francis became Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland March 31, 2016. He leads a staff of more than 200 people responsible for the management of Oakland International Airport. The airport is the second-busiest in the San Francisco Bay Area and No. 1 in air cargo. Aviation is one of three principal business lines at the Port of Oakland along with Commercial Real Estate and Maritime. Mr. Francis is a 25-year veteran in aviation management. Before joining the Port of Oakland, he was the Airport Director in Long Beach, Ca. He was previously Director of Airports in Shreveport, La. He also served in executive capacities at airports in Boise, Detroit and Palm Springs, and began his career in Atlanta. Mr. Francis is a member of the Airports Council International - North America Board of Directors and is also the American Association of Airport Executives Diversity Committee Chair. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fl. Mr. Francis is a member of the Port of Oakland senior management team.
Cestra ‘Ces' Butner is continuing his service as a Port Commissioner as of July 6, 2023. Commissioner Butner last served as Second Vice President of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners when he was elected to that role on July 7, 2022, by his fellow commissioners. He has held presidency twice from July 2013 to July 2014 and again from July 2018 to July 2020. Second Vice President Butner joined the Board in 2012.
President Butner is the founder of Horizon Beverage Company, an Oakland-based beverage distributorship that supplied 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, Mr. Butner more than tripled the size of Horizon Beverage Company revenues, placing it among Black Enterprise's "Top 100 Black Owned Businesses" nationally.
Mr. Butner sold his business in 2015 and funded his charitable foundation - the "Cestra Butner Family Foundation." The foundation is dedicated to funding educational efforts and opportunities for underserved African American and Hispanic youth in Oakland.
Commissioner Butner lives in Oakland with his wife Teresa and two daughters Raquel and Andrea. He has served on the boards of the East Bay YMCA, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and as president of Sequoyah Country Club.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Secretary to the Executive Director
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of Environmental Programs and Planning
Colleen Liang began serving as Director of Environmental Programs and Planning (EP&P) for the Port of Oakland on December 4, 2023. During her 23 years at the Port, she has served in every environmental position, most recently as Acting Director of EP&P. In this role, Ms. Liang will oversee the Port's zero emissions program, environmental compliance, hazardous waste and materials management, planning and permitting programs, and grant funding opportunities for zero emissions and sustainability projects. She also supports land use and transportation planning, managing the Port's resiliency program, including impacts from sea level rise and groundwater intrusion, and updating environmental programs including the Port's sustainability program.
Ms. Liang received a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Ecology from the University of California, Irvine.
Job Titles:
- Interim Director of Aviation
Job Titles:
- Acting Director of Commercial Real Estate
Job Titles:
- Administrative Specialist
Job Titles:
- Chief Real Estate Officer
Job Titles:
- Social Responsibility Division
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Job Titles:
- Media and Public Relations Manager
- Port Spokesperson
- Spokesperson
Job Titles:
- Chief Public Engagement Officer
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Job Titles:
- Senior Commercial Real Estate Representative
Job Titles:
- Communications Manager
- Director of Communications
Robert Bernardo was appointed Director of Communications on July 26, 2021. He serves as the chief spokesperson and public information officer. He is responsible for internal and external communications that amplify the Port's strategic goals. The Communications Division handles media outreach, brand marketing, crisis communications, and website management. In 2020, Mr. Bernardo launched the Everyone's Port initiative which promotes the Port's diverse workforce and business lines.
He joined the Port in 2002 as a community relations representative and became the Communications Manager in 2007. During that time, Mr. Bernardo developed customer, community, and online engagement programs. Prior to being hired at the Port, he formerly worked in Silicon Valley high technology public relations. Mr. Bernardo is a former two-term countywide elected official. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of California, Davis. He is fluent in Tagalog and French.
Job Titles:
- Engineering Services Administration / Technical