Port of Seattle

Tay Yoshitani, appointed CEO of the Port of Seattle in January, 2007, began the role in March. As CEO, he carries out policies set by the Port Commission and leads Seattle's Seaport, one of the largest container ports in North America, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which welcomes more than 29 million passengers a year. Prior to joining the Port of Seattle, Yoshitani served as Senior Advisor to the National Association of Waterfront Employers (2004 to 2007), providing industry expertise on port security and environmental issues. Previously he served as Executive Director of the Port of Oakland (2001 to 2004), where he led a significant expansion program to substantially increase the size of both the seaport and airport. He oversaw environmental permitting and planning that enabled construction to begin on the airport expansion, including the Terminal Improvement Program that used "green building" technology. He also led the effort to transfer ownership and begin cleanup of two military bases and convert them into container terminals and rail yards. By doing significant environmental cleanup at the same time as the seaport construction, the effort saved millions of dollars and nearly a decade of red tape. He served as Oakland's Deputy Executive Director from 1998 to 2001. He is credited with creating the first master plan at the Maryland Port Administration, where he served as Executive Director (1995 to 1998). His accomplishments there included turning around the floundering Port. As Deputy Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles (1989 to 1995), he oversaw the creation of the West Coast's largest dry bulk export terminal. As president of Grand American, Inc. (1987-1989), Yoshitani directed property development and management operations specializing in office buildings and retail centers in three states. From 1975 to 1987 he also held various positions for Fortune 500 companies including Castle & Cooke, Inc., and Avery International. Prior to becoming Executive Officer in Viet Nam for an engineering company, he attended U.S. Army Airborne and Ranger training. He served as aide-de-camp for the Commanding General, U.S. Army, Japan, and was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain. Yoshitani, the fourth son of American-born parents, came to the U.S. as a 7-year-old aboard a ship that sailed from Yokohama and docked in Seattle in 1954. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and earned his MBA at Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He serves on the National Urban Fellows, Inc. Board of Directors.

John Okamoto joined the Port's executive staff as chief administrative officer in January 2003. Okamoto oversees key administrative departments including Public Affairs, Government Relations, Economic and Trade Development, Regional Transportation, Human Resources, Labor Relations and Facilities. Okamoto served as assistant secretary of Washington State Department of Transportation from 2001, leading 2,500 employees and administering a $2.2 billion biennial budget. In that capacity he fostered public support and initiated planning and design for six major transportation projects. Prior to that position, from 1996 he served as a Department of Transportation regional administrator over the most populated and congested six-county region of the state, working to improve the organization's responsiveness and external customer focus. He also held leadership positions with the City of Seattle, as director of the Engineering Department, and as Human Resource director. He is active in community and public service organizations including the Seattle Aquarium Society, Japan America Society, Trade Development Alliance, enterpriseSeattle, Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau, Nikkei Concerns, American Public Works Association, the Intelligent Transportation Society of Washington, and Mountains to Sound Greenway. Okamoto has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Washington. He has attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in the Senior Executives program for state and local government officials.

Elected in 2007, Gael Tarleton is the third woman to serve as a Seattle Port Commissioner in the nearly 100-year history of this body. She brings more than 25 years of career experience as a national security expert, international business manager, and leader in the non-profit and university sectors. Tarleton is committed to leading public conversations about the opportunities and challenges of operating an international airport and seaport in urban neighborhoods. A working port brings living-wage jobs, diversified economic development, tourists and business travelers to Puget Sound. The Port also is a steward of the environment, and must exercise fiscal discipline and restraint while managing public assets on behalf of King County?s citizens. Since 2002, Tarleton has held senior positions at The National Bureau of Asian Research in Seattle and at the University of Washington. At UW?s College of Arts and Sciences and now in the Office of Global Affairs, Tarleton helps the faculty compete for public and private grants. From 1990 to 2002, Tarleton was a policy analyst and business manager at one of the nation?s largest employee-owned science and engineering firms where she led science and technology collaborations in Russia and Eastern Europe. From 1981 to 1990, she was an intelligence research analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., where she received a national intelligence community medal of achievement (1989). From 2000 to present, Tarleton has served as a volunteer Board member and former Board Chair for the Seattle-based Foundation for Russian-American Economic Cooperation. In 1996, she was the first representative of a foreign firm to speak at a joint session of the Russian Parliament in Moscow, Russia. She is co-founder of the Pacific Northwest chapter of Women in International Security and was a World Affairs Council Fellow. Tarleton received a B.S. cum laude from Georgetown University?s School of Foreign Service, concentrating in Russian Studies and earning an honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy. She holds a MA in Government and National Security Studies, also from Georgetown. Tarleton grew up on the North Shore of Boston, MA and now lives with her husband in Ballard.