Michael Colbruno, a managing partner with the Milo Group of California, has been elected President of the Port of Oakland’s Board of Port Commissioners. The former two-term member and past chair of the Oakland Planning Commission was chosen unanimously by the seven-member Board last night. He succeeds Commissioner Earl Hamlin who concludes his one-year tenure as President but remains on the Board. The Board also elected Ces Butner First Vice President and Joan Story Second Vice President.
President Colbruno joined the Board of Port Commissioners in 2013. He has been a key staff person for leading Bay Area elected officials, having served as San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs and Chief-of-Staff to Carole Migden at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the California State Assembly, where he also staffed her on the Assembly Select Committee on Ports.
President Colbruno becomes the first openly LGBT Oakland Port Commissioner to lead the Board. He co-founded the country’s first LGBT Port affinity group with San Francisco Port Commissioner Leslie Katz and San Diego Port Commissioner Bob Nelson, which focuses on making California ports safe and welcoming workplaces for LGBT people. Both Katz and Nelson served as presidents of their respective Port boards last year.
About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States.