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For Immediate Release

NANCY BAKER FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT TO LEAD
PORT OF VANCOUVER BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Click here for a photo of Nancy Baker.

January 11, 2006 -- Nancy Baker will serve as President of the Port of Vancouver, USA Board of Commissioners for 2006, the first woman to ever hold the top position in the district’s 94-year history. Commission officers were selected on Tuesday, January 10, at the board’s first regular meeting for 2006. Arch Miller, who was reelected in 2001 to a third 6-year term, will serve as Vice President. The commission’s newest member Brian Wolfe, who was elected in November to replace retiring Commissioner Bob Moser, will hold the position of Secretary.

Baker was elected to the commission in November 2003. She had retired from the Port of Vancouver in July, 2003, after serving 14 years as executive assistant and secretary to the Board of Commissioners. That experience enabled her to bring a wealth of knowledge to the commissioner role, pertaining to port operations, as well as the responsibilities and guidelines defining the commissioners’ jobs.

“I look forward to a great year for the Port of Vancouver in 2006,” said Baker. “I am excited about working with the commission and staff as the port moves ahead with our projects to improve freight access and bring new economic development to our community.”

The commission’s new president believes in accelerating the port’s creation of family wage jobs and working to improve all modes of transportation, including river, road and rail, while seeking a balance between development and environment. As president for 2006, Baker will serve as a trustee with the Washington Public Ports Association. For the past two years, she was the port representative to the Columbia River Economic Development Council’s Executive Committee.

She has also served as vice-chair of the City of Vancouver International Affairs Commission; secretary of the YWCA of Clark County Board of Directors; on the Partners in Careers Board of Directors and the State of Washington Department of Health Quality Assurance Commission.

Prior to her 14 years at the Port of Vancouver, Baker spent 10 years in business management with a multi-million dollar retail store, as well as several years in the heavy, marine and building construction industry.

Born, raised and educated in Vancouver, Baker and her husband, Ray Barney, live in northwest Vancouver. She has two grown children and four grandchildren.

The Port of Vancouver, USA has a three-member Board of Commissioners that sets policy, direction, and approve all major expenditures. Commissioners are elected to six-year terms of office by the voters in the port districts. Port Commission meetings are open to the public and are normally held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, 9:30 a.m., at the Port of Vancouver Administrative Offices, 3103 Lower River Road, Vancouver, Wash. Visit www.PortVanUSA.com for more information on the port and its activities.

The Port Commission also reappointed Larry Paulson as the Executive Director, the law offices of Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt as Port Counsel, and Maggie Smith as Port Auditor.

The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

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Contact: Maureen Chan-Hefflin, Communications Manager
             (360) 992-1107 or mhefflin@PortVanUSA.com