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6/25/2026
Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Executive Director Jonathan Daniels in August will vacate his position with MPA and the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore to assume the role of director and CEO of PortMiami.
Daniels has more than three decades of experience in maritime transportation, logistics and economic development. He joined the Port of Baltimore in February 2024 and helped lead the response and ongoing recovery following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials said in a press release.
Under his leadership, the Baltimore port logged a record year of container movement and its second-best year for cargo volumes. He also oversaw the start of double-stack container rail service at the port and supported the port's environmental initiatives, including a emissions-reduction project that received a $147 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Ports grant, Port of Baltimore officials said in a social media post.
Daniels previously served as CEO and port director at Port Everglades, Florida, and has held leadership positions at the Mississippi State Port Authority, the Port of Oswego in New York, the Port of Greater Baton Rouge in Louisiana and the Eastport Port Authority in Maine.
Concurrent to Daniels' appointment, Alissa Penaloza has been named deputy director of PortMiami. She has previously held leadership roles at PortMiami and the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. Miami-Dade County Deputy Mayor Roy Coley will serve as interim port director of PortMiami beginning July 1 until Daniels assumes his duties on August 10, Miami-Dade County officials said.
In Baltimore, Maryland Transportation Deputy Secretary Samantha Biddle will serve as interim executive director of the MPA while a nationwide search is underway to permanently fill the position, MDOT officials said. Biddle joined MDOT in 2014 and has served as deputy transportation secretary since 2023, including serving as acting secretary in 2025.