The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced that its president and CEO, Brandy D. Christian, will step down in mid-June 2024 to pursue a private sector opportunity.

Christian has been the president and chief executive of Port NOLA since January 1, 2017, and the CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) since its acquisition by Port NOLA on February 1, 2018.

In a statement, the Port of NOLA said that during this time, it increased its operating revenues by 70%, and NOPB increased its operating income by 300%.

"We cannot overstate the exemplary leadership that Brandy Christian has provided throughout her tenure," said Walter Leger, Jr., chairman of the Port NOLA Board of Commissioners and the NOPB Commission. 

"Under Christian's guidance, Port NOLA has navigated through profound challenges and achieved remarkable successes," he added, noting that Christian also positioned Port NOLA to regain its place as the premier destination within the global supply chain as the gateway embarks on a transformational economic development project in the Louisiana International Terminal.

Christian joined Port NOLA as its chief operating officer in 2015 and was appointed its president and CEO just two years later.

Within six months of taking the reins, Christian led Port NOLA's acquisition of the NOPB, connecting the rail and maritime supply chains across and beyond the region and positioning Port NOLA as an alternative gateway of choice.

In 2018, she also led the development of a master plan to align all four lines of business — cargo, cruise, real estate and rail — that provided a strategic roadmap for sustainable and inclusive growth.

Christian has also overseen the beginnings of the largest economic development project in Louisiana history, raising nearly all of the funding to support the US$1.8B Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), a new container facility in St. Bernard Parish that will begin construction in 2025.

Port NOLA also announced that executive vice president and chief financial officer Ronald Wendel, Jr., will assume acting leadership of Port NOLA and NOPB following Christian's departure.