Board of Directors

JAXPORT has an unpaid seven-member Board of Directors which provides policy guidance for the Authority.

Four members are appointed by the Mayor of Jacksonville and three members are appointed by the Governor of Florida. Members serve four-year terms and may be appointed to one additional term. To contact Jacksonville Port Authority Board Members, please email or call (904) 357-3036.

JAXPORT’s full Board of Directors meets every month and all meetings are open to the public.

View the board meeting calendar and read past meeting minutes here.


Board of Directors


Daniel Bean

Chair
Attorney, Smith Gambrell Russell

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Daniel Bean

Daniel Bean is an attorney at Smith Gambrell Russell, a full-service international law firm that advises businesses on a wide range of legal matters. He previously served as a partner at the law firms of ABL Law and the Jacksonville office of Holland & Knight. A retired U.S. Navy captain and Legion of Merit recipient, Bean served as a surface warfare officer and judge advocate for 25 years. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received his juris doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law. Bean currently serves as board chairman of K9s for Warriors, treasurer for the Five Star Veterans Center and is former board chairman of WJCT, the public broadcasting station in Jacksonville. Bean was appointed to JAXPORT’s Board of Directors in 2019 for a four-year term.

 


Wendy Hamilton

Vice Chair 
President, Eventide Investments of Florida, Inc.

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Wendy Hamilton

Wendy Hamilton is a Certified Financial Planner and currently serves as President of Eventide Investments of Florida, Inc. Hamilton has more than 25 years of financial service and asset management experience and specializes in managing multi-manager and multi-generational portfolios. She actively participates in numerous community service initiatives, including the Women’s Giving Alliance, and is a former board member of both The Bolles School and the YWCA/Community Connections. Hamilton was first appointed to the JAXPORT Board of Directors in April 2018 and was reappointed to the Board in November 2021 for a second four-year term.

 


 

J. Palmer Clarkson

Treasurer
Founder, Bridgestone HosePower, LLC

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J. Palmer Clarkson

J. Palmer Clarkson is the founder and retired President and CEO of Bridgestone HosePower, LLC, the largest U.S.-based service provider of hydraulic and industrial hoses used in construction machinery, mining, oil field equipment and factories. He serves on the company’s Board of Directors and retired as President and CEO in June 2022. Clarkson has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, business builder and senior leader with skills in negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, financial and operational management and business plan analysis. Clarkson also serves on the boards of several other large companies. He was reappointed to the JAXPORT Board of Directors in December 2022.

 


Soo Gilvarry

Secretary
CEO/Owner, Lotus Commercial USA LLC.

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Soo Gilvarry

Soo Gilvarry is the CEO/Owner of Jacksonville-based Lotus Commercial USA LLC, which specializes in commercial real estate development, including the ongoing multi-million redevelopment of the historic former Furchgott’s Department Store in downtown Jacksonville.

An investment company owner and managing partner, Gilvarry is accomplished in improving bottom-line results with impeccable analytical skills and guiding organizations to success.

She has served on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville and the Board of Directors of the Jax Chamber, Downtown Vision Inc, and the Jacksonville Real Estate Investors’ Association (JAXREIA). She has also served as a committee member or provided financial support to various philanthropic organizations, including Malivai Washington Youth Foundation, Guardian Catholic School, and the Baptist MD Anderson Art Collection.

She was appointed to the JAXPORT Board of Directors in March 2023.


Ed Fleming

Board Member
Retired CEO/President, Atlantic Marine Holding Co., LLC

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Ed Fleming

Ed Fleming retired in 2010 as CEO/President of Atlantic Marine, after a 32 year career in the maritime industry. He was a founding board member of the Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange and served on the Jacksonville Waterways Commission for eight years, in addition to consulting in the industry. Fleming has long supported the maritime community through his affiliations and has served as president of the Propeller Club, Port of Jacksonville and on the boards of the National Shipbuilding Research Program and First Coast Manufacturers Association. Fleming was named the Propeller Club Maritime Person of the Year in 1998. He was appointed to the JAXPORT Board of Directors in January 2014.

 

Tom Slater

Board Member
Trial attorney, the law firm of pajcic and pajcic

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Board member Tom Slater

Tom Slater is an attorney with The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic, with practice areas that include maritime, trucking and aviation law. He has been the lead attorney in over 600 cases with total recoveries in excess of $200 million. He serves on the PACE Center for Girls board and has been a member of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid since 1993. He has also served as President of the Jacksonville Justice Association and the Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center. He was appointed to the JAXPORT Board of Directors in November 2023.