NEW YORK, NY --Leaders of the North American port industry re-elected Beaumont Port Director Bill Masters to the Board of Directors of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). Board members were elected at the AAPA Annual Membership Meeting during the Association's recent 88th annual convention in New York.

Masters will also continue to serve on the AAPA's National Defense Committee.

Masters will celebrate his 35th year with the Port of Beaumont in the year 2000. He joined the port in 1965 as assistant dock superintendent and worked his way up through the ranks before being named port director in 1986.

Under his leadership, the Port of Beaumont has sustained an impressive record of steady growth. He has also been a leader on the state and regional transportation scene, serving as president of the Texas Ports Association and the Gulf Ports Association.

AAPA was founded in 1912 and today represents more than 160 public port authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. The association also represents more than 300 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in the seaports of the Western Hemisphere. AAPA port members are public entities mandated by law to serve public purposes. Ports facilitate waterborne commerce and contribute to local, regional and national economic growth.

For more information, contact Bill Masters, 409/835-5367