Sam Ruda is the director of the port department at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, leading the Port of New York and New Jersey during a period of historic and unprecedented growth and change for the agency’s marine facilities in the two states. Ruda graduated from Rutgers College in New Jersey with an economics degree, and his career includes extensive experience in container shipping, marketing, pricing, passenger air service and air cargo development, managing the global supply chain for a Fortune 500 company with extensive Asia-based manufacturing operations and 12 years in senior management at the Port of Portland.