Eva Jakubowska is joining the professional staff at the Port of Oakland as information technology director. She will manage systems for the port’s maritime, aviation, and commercial business lines and will head a staff of 14.
Ms. Jakubowska comes to the port from Foster Farmers, where she was senior IT director. She has held senior IT roles in fields as diverse as consumer products, manufacturing and financial services. Before Foster Farms, she ran Global Information Technology for ITT. She also led systems divisions at Tyco and PepsiCo.
Her degrees include a bachelor’s in psychology from St. John’s University and a master’s in information systems and management from New York University.
Eva Jakubowska
Photo/Port of Oakland
The board of commissioners of the Port of Port Angeles voted unanimously at its June 27 meeting to appoint Karen Goschen the port’s new Executive Director. Ms. Goschen had served as the interim executive director since the December 31 retirement of Ken O’Hollaren.
Ms. Goschen joined the port staff as director of finance in August 2012 and was promoted to deputy executive director in 2014. Earlier, she held executive-level management positions in finance and operations with responsibility for presenting financial and operational results to governing boards for nonprofit, government and for profit entities. She has also held positions in management consulting, focusing on process improvement, strategic planning and financial systems, and has taught college level business and finance courses.
Ms. Goschen graduated summa cum laude from California State University/Northridge with a BS in accounting and finance and subsequently earned an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Colorado/Boulder, where she also studied law.
"Karen Goschen's commitment to this port and our community is unparalleled," said Port Commission President Colleen McAleer. "The commission fully believes Karen's strategic vision for partnership and her servant leadership approach will improve Clallam County's environment so businesses can prosper. We are thrilled to have Karen at the helm and expect to see great advances under her leadership."
Karen Goschen
Photo/Port of Port Angeles
Port of Redwood City commissioners Richard "Dick" Claire, Ralph A. Garcia, and Lorianna Kastrop have each been reappointed to three-year terms by the Redwood City Council.
Mr. Claire, who was first appointed to the commission in 2007 and reappointed in 2012, had served 21 years on the Redwood City Council, including four as mayor, and seven years on the Redwood City Planning Commission.
His other community activities have included formerly being a board member of local Little League, Sequoia YMCA, and Big Sisters; as well as former chair of the Housing and Human Concerns Committee and chair of the San Mateo Council of Mayors.
He is a financial and accounting professor emeritus at Canada College in Redwood City, where he taught for 35 years. He now teaches as an adjunct professor at Canada College and Skyline College in San Bruno.
He holds an MBA in financing from University of Santa Clara and a bachelor's in accounting from San Francisco State. He has served as corporate controller or other financial management positions for several companies, including Raychem, Marcona, and National Semiconductor.
Mr. Garcia was appointed to the port commission in 2005 and reappointed in 2007 and 2012. He previously served 10 ½ years on the Redwood City Planning Commission, including a two-year term as commission chairman.
He has owned Ralph’s Vacuum and Sewing Center in Redwood City for more than 30 years. He has been a member of the Redwood City Optimist Club for 37 years, including two terms as president and long-time sergeant-at-arms. The club during recent years has bought or donated nearly $50,000 in music instruments and equipment to sustain music programs in the Redwood City Elementary School District.
Mr. Garcia also served on the Board of Directors of El Centro de Libertad, a program in Redwood City that offers outpatient alcohol and drug treatment and related services. Away from his business, he enjoys restoring cars and entering them into car shows. He has lived in Redwood City since he was 12, attending local schools as well as Menlo-Atherton High School.
Ms. Kastrop was the second woman named to the port commission at the time of her appointment in 2008 and the first woman to serve as its chair. She is vice-president of The Kastrop Group architectural firm, and has a background in financial analysis.
She was named Businesswoman of the Year in 2001 by the Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce. She graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's in international relations.
Ms. Kastrop has served on numerous local non-profit boards, including the YMCA, Rotary, and PTA. She co-founded the Redwood City Mothers Club and was president of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools. She was elected to the Redwood City Elementary School District Board of Trustees and served from 1997 to 2001.
An avid recreational boater, Ms. Kastrop has crewed in hundreds of races on San Francisco the Bay and is past Commodore of the South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco. She is a co-founder of PortFest, an annual community event the first Saturday of October at the Port of Redwood City.
Also serving on the five-member port commission are R. Simms Duncan and Richard Dodge.
From left, Redwood City
Port Commissioners Richard "Dick" Claire, Lorianna Kastrop, and Ralph A. Garcia
Photos/Port of Redwood City