Milwaukee names permanent municipal port director

The Port of Milwaukee recently named Paul Vornholt as municipal port director, a position he had held on an interim basis for more than two years.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Vornholt’s accomplishments made him the best person to install permanently. “His financial stewardship, his administrative leadership and his strategic approach have put our port on solid footing,” Barrett said.

Vornholt has worked in public-sector management and in government relations at the local, state and federal levels. He previously directed the City of Milwaukee’s Intergovernmental Relations Division, and, prior to that, worked with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and as the assistant county executive in Brown County, Wisconsin.

Tim Hoelter, president of Milwaukee's Board of Harbor Commissioners, strongly supports the move.

“Paul has proven himself as an able and passionate leader,” Hoelter said. “His accomplishments at the port are a testament to his capabilities. Based on my 19 years of service on the Board of Harbor Commissioners, I feel strongly there is no individual better suited to serve as port director.”