J. Michael Zachary recently joined the Port of Tacoma as director of port planning and logistics. In this position, he is responsible for infrastructure planning and co-ordinating facilities and logistics planning with regional government and maritime industry officials.

As a maritime industry consultant, Zachary has most recently managed – and will continue to manage – the Port of Tacoma/Port of Seattle program for Operation Safe Commerce, a federal maritime container security initiative.

Zachary’s career achievements include the management of 62 strategic master plans for seaports around the world, including work on several Port of Tacoma planning projects, including contributing to the port’s original 2010 Plan, the Tideflats Rail Transportation Study and several other maritime operational studies and operational/transportation computer simulations.

“Mike is an internationally recognized expert in intermodalism and logistics,” said Timothy J. Farrell, Port of Tacoma Deputy Executive Director. “He’ll fit right into the Port of Tacoma team, where efficient intermodal connections are our calling card.”

After two years of record cargo volume, Farrell reports the Port of Tacoma is significantly increasing its capacity with new facilities and expansion of existing infrastructure. This includes a new, 237-acre container terminal for Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) on the Blair Waterway and a new, 160-acre auto handling facility.

“The Port of Tacoma continues to achieve record growth in its major cargo areas, and is building a team to continue that trend,” Farrell said. “Mike will be a key member of this forward-looking team.”

In addition to his work in the maritime industry, Zachary’s background includes senior-level management positions for several companies, including Dallas-based i2 Technologies, Inc., BRW/Dames & Moore/URS Corp. of Portland, Ore. and CH2M-Hill. From 1980 to 1997, Zachary was executive vice president for Oakland-based VZM/TransSystems Inc. Early in his career, he served as Manager of Construction for Oakland’s Bay Area Rapid Transit System.

Zachary holds a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Purdue University (1971) and the executive MBA program from St. Mary’s College of Moraga, Calif. (1980).