Duluth Port Executive Director to Retire

Adolph Ojard, Executive Director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, plans to retire this year after serving in that leadership role for the past decade.

A national search is underway for a new Executive Director. The board anticipates having that person hired by the end of summer/early fall. After a brief transitional time, Ojard will then settle into retirement.

Ojard was appointed executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority in March 2003. A Great Lakes maritime and transportation veteran, he now serves as the Port Authority's chief executive officer. Ojard spent more than 30 years with transportation affiliates of the U.S. Steel Corporation where he held executive positions in rail, inland barging, and Great Lakes shipping. He was president of the Warrior Gulf Navigation Co. in Alabama until 1997 when he became general manager of both the DM&IR Railway and USS Great Lakes Fleet, regional railroad and vessel companies headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. Ojard is currently president of the American Great Lakes Ports Association, chair of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) U.S. delegation, a member of the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Council (MTSNAC), and chairs the Great Ships Initiative advisory committee. Ojard also serves on the board of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, in addition to several community boards.

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