The Alabama Port Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday appointed Doug Otto as director and chief executive officer of the Alabama Port Authority. Otto has served as interim director and CEO since August, following the retirement of former Director John Driscoll.
After completing an initial external search for a new chief executive, the Board determined that maintaining consistent leadership during the Port’s ongoing major capital investment program is essential to delivering infrastructure projects on schedule and continuing the organization’s strong momentum.
“With more than one billion dollars in infrastructure investments underway across the Port, steady and consistent leadership from an experienced executive like Doug is essential,” said Zeke Smith, chairman of the Alabama Port Authority Board of Directors. “From commanding the Hurricane Hunters squadron to leading complex engineering projects, Doug’s proven discipline, leadership, and technical expertise make him the right person to guide the Port through this critical phase of growth.”
The Port’s $1.1+ billion capital investment program includes the recently completed $425 million Mobile Harbor modernization project, which deepened the federal ship channel and the Port’s berths to 50 feet. Ongoing investments at the Port of Mobile include the $38 million inter-terminal connector bridge, $109 million Phase IV expansion, and $130 million Phase V expansion at APM Terminals Mobile, along with a $100 million rehabilitation of the Main Docks complex and $230 million in upgrades to McDuffie Coal Terminal. Statewide, the Port is developing a $100 million Intermodal Container Transfer Facility in Montgomery.
In addition to overseeing the implementation of capital investments, Otto will play a key role in the next phase of the search process, working closely with the Board on leadership continuity and organizational strategy, the Board shared. His tenure as CEO will correspond with the current phase of capital project implementation and will continue through March 2027, in line with his long-standing retirement plans.
“As part of our search for a CEO to lead the organization beyond this phase of capital investment, the Board is also conducting a comprehensive strategic review to shape long-term priorities for the organization,” said Smith. “Establishing a clear roadmap for the next decade ensures that, in the next phase of the search, the Board is best positioned to select an executive who aligns with our vision for growth and for economic benefit across Alabama.”
Otto, who previously served as the Port’s chief engineering officer, brings more than three decades of experience in port operations and infrastructure development, including leadership roles with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he was chief of the engineering division for the Mobile District.
“I am honored by the Board’s trust and look forward to leading our team through this exciting time for Alabama’s Port,” said Doug Otto, director and CEO of the Alabama Port Authority. “Together, we are delivering the infrastructure and strengthening the strategy that will define the Port’s future success and Alabama’s role in global trade for generations to come.”
In addition to his long career with the Corps of Engineers, Doug served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for over 30 years, retiring as a colonel. While in the USAFR, he served as a C-130/WC-130 instructor and evaluator pilot and was the squadron commander of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, commonly known as the “Hurricane Hunters.” In that role, Otto logged 150 career Hurricane eyewall penetrations. He also led one of the final Hurricane Hunters flights into Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 28, 2005, as the storm rapidly intensified from a Category 3 to a Category 5 storm before landfall. On that mission, Otto’s squadron recorded maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 902 millibars, providing critical data that helped inform evacuations across the Gulf Coast.
Otto holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Auburn University and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Doug is also a graduate of the USAF Air Command and Staff and Air War Colleges.
Doug and his wife, Kim, live in Mobile. They have four children and four grandchildren.
