The Authority is governed by members of the Port Commission, which is composed of seven commissioners who serve without pay. Each commissioner serves a staggered term of three years with appointments made to the Commission each year. Three commissioners are appointed by the Corpus Christi City Council, the governing body of the City of Corpus Christi, three commissioners are appointed by the Nueces County Commissioners Court, the governing body of Nueces County, and one is appointed by the San Patricio County Commissioners Court. The executive staff, under the leadership of the executive director, manages the operations of the Authority and assists the Commission in planning for the future. Port Commission efforts are directed toward encouraging industrial expansion, attracting new cargo, building and maintaining public terminals, setting operational policy and cooperating with the Federal Government as a local sponsor in maintaining and further improving vital navigation channels.
Current Term: Jan ‘2018 – Jan ‘2021
Nueces County Appointee
Zahn holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Baylor University. He is Partner in the Law Offices of Charles W. Zahn, Jr. He is a long-time resident of Port Aransas, Texas, where his community involvement and organizational affiliations include Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Board, Port Aransas Charter Commission, Port Aransas Rotary Club, Friends of the Ellis Library, Keep Port Aransas Beautiful, Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association, Aransas County ISD Education Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, to name a few. Although a resident of Port Aransas, he also serves on the Nueces County Board of Park Commissioners.
Because of his commitment to his community, he has received numerous awards with the Boy Scouts of America, has also been named 2005 Citizen of the Year by the City of Port Aransas and is a recipient of the Jerry McDonald Award for Service to Youth.
Current Term: Jan ’2017 – Jan ‘2020
City of Corpus Christi Appointee
David P. Engel is a Southern Methodist University graduate with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a graduate of the Harvard University Owner President Master Program. He is the principal of Engel and Associates, LLC, has 40 years of experience in all areas of business management including; operations, acquisitions, divestitures, and financial performance improvement. Prior to forming his management consulting practice, David was President of Airgas Southwest, Inc., with branches in the states of Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico. Airgas Southwest, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), which is the largest distributor of welding supplies and packaged gases in the United States. Engel currently serves on the board of the Susser Holdings Corporation (NYSE: SUSS) and Susser Petroleum Partners (NYSE SUSP), The Fordyce Company, and he is part of the Advisory board for Heldenfel’s Enterprises, Inc. Engel is a past Chairman of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Commission, the CHRISTUS Spohn Health System and the Lexington Museum.
Current Term: March ‘2020 – Jan ‘2021
Nueces County Appointee
Dr. Gulley has long been involved professionally in the Coastal Bend, while also maintaining a career as an oral surgeon. He has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas General Land Office, as well as serving on several boards. He currently serves on the University of Texas Marine Science Institute Advisory Board, the Island Strategic Action Committee, and the Island Moorings and Channel Corporation Board. He is the co-owner of Texas EMS Academy, which helps train first responders, and has also completed a number of construction projects. Those include the development, excavation and bulkheading of the Sunset Cove area of Island Moorings; design, permitting, building and operation of the 200-acre Gulley HURST Type 4 municipal solid waste facility; and conceptualization, design, permitting, construction and operation of the Lydia Ann Channel Fleet, an 8,100-foot-long barge and tugboat moorings. He also has ranched and farmed property in Nueces and San Patricio counties. Gulley has done graduate work in oceanography and estuarine ecology. He and his wife have four children.
Current Term: Jan ’2019 – Jan ‘2022
San Patricio County Appointee
W. Wes Hoskins professional experience includes, Chairman of the Board for Coastal Bend Bancshares; President & CEO of First Community Bank; Director of First Community Bank; President of WBH, Inc. Commercial Real Estate Holdings Co.; and Auctioneer with Buddy and Wesley Hoskins Auctioneers. Civic and professional leadership roles include, Federal Reserve of San Antonio Advisory Board; Federal Home Loan Bank Dallas Board of Directors; American Bankers Association PAC Committee Chairman, Regulatory Task Force Committee, and Financial Education and Advocacy Initiative Committee; Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Board of Directors, and numerous committees; Texas Bankers Association Chairman, Board of Directors, and Texas Legislative Lobby; Corpus Christi Downtown Management District Board of Directors; and Gregory Portland Independent School District Trustee and Secretary/Treasurer. Commissioner Hoskins is a participant of numerous charitable organizations and events including, American Cancer Society Cattle Barons; South Texas Children’s Heart Institute; Driscoll Foundation/Fiesta de Los Niño’s; Navy League; Alice Chamber of Commerce; Gregory-Portland Booster Club Past Vice President and Trustee; City of Portland Traffic Advisory Committee; First United Methodist Church Portland Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, Staff Parish Committee Chair; and the Alice, Texas Airport Advisory Committee. Wesley Hoskins is a graduate of Southwest Texas University with a Bachelor of Education in Communications and a Political Science Minor.
Nueces County Appointee
Current Term: Jan ’2019 – Jan ‘2020
Catherine Tobin Hilliard is a native of San Diego, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and earned her Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where she was a member of the St. Mary’s Law Review. After law school, Hilliard returned to South Texas to work as a civil litigation attorney for 10 years at Gonzales Hoblit Ferguson LLP. In 2005, Hilliard became the first female Hispanic partner and served as managing partner of the firm. In 2010, Hilliard joined forces with her husband at Hilliard Martinez Gonzales, LLP, a highly successful and internationally recognized plaintiffs’ law firm. Hilliard has been honored as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star several times during her career. Mrs. Hilliard is a member of the American Bar Association, Corpus Christi Bar Association, and Coastal Bend Women Lawyer’s Association. Hilliard also served as a member of the State Bar of Texas - Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession Committee from 2000-2003 and taught Legal Research and Writing as an Adjunct Professor at Del Mar College in Fall 2001. Community service long has been a priority for Hilliard, who became a Trustee for St. Edward’s University in 2016 and serves currently as Treasurer. She is Chair of the Incarnate Word Academy’s School Board of Directors and has been an active board member since 2016. She currently serves on the boards for the Texas State Aquarium, Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation, Art Museum of South Texas, Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas, and the Bailando International Dance Festival. Catherine is married to Bob Hilliard and, together, they manage a household of 7 children.
City of Corpus Christi Appointee
Current Term: Jan ’2020 – Jan ‘2021
Jones has more than four decades worth of experience in the banking industry, opening American Bank in 1970.
After more than 45 years with American Bank, Jones – who was the company’s original cashier and later became the Chairman and CEO – retired in 2017. He serves as director of American Bank Holding Co.
Jones attended the University of Texas and serves on the Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee.
Jones also is an active member on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas – San Antonio branch, as well as on the board for the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation (CCREDC). He also serves on the Board of the Corpus Christi Science and History Museum.
He and his wife Janet have been married for 53 years and met in 1961 as freshmen at the University of Texas – Austin.