Port CEO to speak at corporate breakfast

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Oct. 10, 2013) The CEO of the Port of Hueneme will be the keynote speaker at the California Lutheran University Corporate Leaders Breakfast to be held 7:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Ventura Beach Marriott.

Kristin Decas will give a presentation titled “Gateway to Commerce.” The commercial Port of Hueneme is one of 11 deep-water seaports vital to the California economy. It handles more than $7 billion in cargo, specializing in niche markets such as automobiles, fresh fruit, fertilizer, project cargos and squid.

As CEO, Decas is responsible for the overall management and direction of port affairs. In this capacity she also serves as general manager for the Ventura County Railway Co.

Before joining the Port of Hueneme in early 2012, Decas spent five years as CEO and director of the Port of New Bedford. The Massachusetts port includes 21 commercial properties, municipal fish piers and unloading docks, a ferry terminal, and a recreational marina. Earlier, Decas spent six years with the Massachusetts Governor’s Seaport Advisory Council as program manager and deputy director.

The Corporate Leaders Breakfast Series brings members of the business and civic communities together to share ideas and hear from prominent leaders in the region. The 2013-2014 series will continue with presentations by Lynda Weinman, co-founder of Lynda.com, on Jan. 23 at Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara; Cynthia Ruiz, deputy executive director of external relations for the Port of Los Angeles, on March 4 at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills; and Jon Irwin, former president of Rhapsody International, on May 6 at CLU.

The Marriott is located at 2055 E. Harbor Blvd. Reservations are requested by Friday, Nov. 1. To RSVP or for more information, contact Sharon Nelson at smnelso@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3150 or go to http://www.callutheran.edu/clb.