Executive Management
James I. (Jim) Newsome, III
President and CEO (843) 577-8600
Jack Ellenberg
SVP, Economic Development and Projects (843) 577-8689
Peter N. Hughes
SVP and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (843) 577-8140
Paul G. McClintock
SVP and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) (843) 577-8151
William A. McLean
SVP, Operations (843) 577-8603
Barbara L. Melvin
SVP, External Affairs (843) 577-8799
Stephen E. Connor
VP, Security, Risk Mgmt. and Human Resources (843) 577-8134
Pamela A. Everitt
Chief Information Officer (CIO) (843) 577-8678
Peter O. Lehman, Esq.
VP, Cruise and Real Estate ( (843) 577-8601
Steve Kemp
VP, Terminal Operations (843) 577-8756
Byron D. Miller
VP, Marketing and Sales Support(843) 577-8197
Art Pruett
VP, Cargo Sales (843) 577-8620
Robert G. "Bob" Reinecke
VP, Global Account Sales (630) 815-9390
Mike Stresemann
VP, Crane and Equipment Maintenance (843) 577-8747
John M. Wheeler
VP, Carrier Sales (843) 724-4041
James I. (Jim) Newsome, III
Mr. Newsome became President & CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority on September 1, 2009 and is only the fifth leader in the history of the organization. He was previously President of Hapag-Lloyd (America), Inc., which is part of the world’s fifth-largest ocean shipping company. Prior to joining Hapag-Lloyd in 1997, Mr. Newsome was with Nedlloyd Lines from 1987 to 1997. He was Executive Vice President of the Americas for Nedlloyd Lines and President of Nedlloyd Lines (USA) Corporation based in Atlanta. In this capacity, he was the first non-Dutch member of the Executive Committee of Nedlloyd Lines and was responsible for North and Latin America and the Transatlantic trade. He held other senior management positions within that company. Before that, Mr. Newsome spent 10 years with Strachan Shipping Company, where he was President of their Hoegh Lines Agencies subsidiary in Jersey City, NJ. He held other positions in Houston, Texas and New York City, with Strachan. A Savannah native, Mr. Newsome received a bachelor’s degree in Transportation and Logistics in 1976 and an MBA in Transportation and Logistics in 1977 from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Jack Ellenberg
Jack Ellenberg is Senior Vice President, Economic Development & Projects, responsible for the recruitment and location of port-dependent projects as well as the expansion of port-user businesses across the state. Mr. Ellenberg also oversees the South Carolina Inland Port in Greer, South Carolina. Mr. Ellenberg previously served as Deputy Secretary for New Investment at the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Ellenberg was named Southern Business & Development's "Person of the Year" for his work on Boeing's new $750-million 787 Dreamliner assembly operation in the Charleston area. In December, 2010, Governor Mark Sanford awarded Ellenberg the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest civilian honor, for his service to the citizens of South Carolina. Mr. Ellenberg holds bachelors and masters degrees in history from Clemson University. He joined the Ports Authority in January 2011 as Vice President, Cargo Development, and was promoted to his current position in the fall of 2012.
Peter N. Hughes
Mr. Hughes earned a degree in business administration (accounting) from the College of Charleston. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor. Before joining the Authority, he worked in the public accounting industry. Mr. Hughes joined the Authority in 1983 and has held the positions of Internal Auditor, Manager – General Accounting and Controller before his promotion to Chief Financial Officer in 1996. Mr. Hughes is a member of the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants, The American Association of Port Authorities Finance Committee and the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Paul G. McClintock
Mr. McClintock is Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for the S.C. Ports Authority. His areas of responsibility include all sales and marketing efforts for Charleston and Georgetown, as well as real estate and cruise development functions. Mr. McClintock has more than 26 years of experience in maritime, logistics, sales and operations management experience. He previously served as Vice President North America Sales for MOL (America) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), one of the world’s largest multi-modal shipping companies. Mr. McClintock earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Scranton. He joined the Authority in 2009.
William A. McLean
Mr. McLean earned a bachelor of science degree from Appalachian State University. Mr. McLean’s experience in port operations began in 1979 with US Lines where he started as a manager trainee and held various positions in increasing levels of responsibility including the position of US Lines Port manager at Baltimore. In 1987 Mr. McLean joined Sea-Land services as Terminal Operations Manager in Jacksonville. In 1994 he moved to Houston, where he was promoted to Port Manager. Mr. McLean joined the Authority in 1997.
Barbara L. Melvin
Ms. Melvin is Senior Vice President, External Affairs, responsible for all public and community relations, government relations and environmental programs for South Carolina’s public ports system. She previously served as Vice President, Government Relations prior to being promoted to her current position in 2012. Before joining the South Carolina Ports Authority in 1998, Ms. Melvin was Director of Government Relations for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and served as a policy analyst for the Georgia Governor's Office of Planning and Budget. Ms. Melvin is a member of the South Carolina Advisory Council of the United States Global Leadership Coalition and serves on the Public Policy Committee of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. She formerly served on the board for Communities in Schools and the South Carolina Maritime Foundation. She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Georgia Southern University with a minor in international relations.
Stephen E. Connor
Mr. Connor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the College of Charleston. He joined the Ports Authority in 1981 working in Operations. In 1982, he transferred to the Finance Division as Claims Investigator and was promoted to Manager, Risk and Claims in 1987. Mr. Connor was appointed to Director, Security, Risk Management and Human Resources in 2004 and promoted to Vice President, Security, Risk Management and Human Resources in 2005. Mr. Connor is a South Carolina licensed all-lines adjuster. He serves as a national delegate of the Palmetto Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society and is an active member of the Propeller Club of the Port of Charleston. Mr. Connor serves on security, emergency planning and response committees at the federal, state and local levels. He is also very involved in church and civic activities.
Pamela A. Everitt
Ms. Everitt earned a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Citadel and received an A.S. in Computer Science from the University of Indianapolis. Before joining the Authority Ms. Everitt worked for Coleman Information Services and the Medical University of South Carolina for a combined 17 years of information systems knowledge including extensive project management and software development experience. Ms. Everitt is an active member of Charleston Women in International Trade, the Propeller Club of the Port of Charleston, the American Association of Port Authorities Information Technology Committee, and Terminal Operator and Port Authority Subcommittee for EDI Standards Development.
Peter O. Lehman, Esq.
Mr. Lehman earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stetson University, earned a certificate of advanced study from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), and obtained his juris doctorate degree from the New England School of Law. He is a licensed attorney and is a member of the South Carolina, New Jersey and District of Columbia Bars as well as 10 Federal Courts including The Supreme Court of the United States.
Before joining the Authority in 1997 he was executive director of the S.C. World Trade Center-Charleston for four years. He has prior experience in international trade and marketing with two private companies and as senior foreign-trade representative for the State of New Jersey’s Department of Commerce. Mr. Lehman is a past president of the Propeller Club of the Port of Charleston and a past chair of the American Association of Port Authorities’ Planning and Research Committee.
Steve Kemp
Mr. Kemp earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from the University of South Carolina. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of South Carolina. Mr. Kemp’s early career was spent with contractor and engineering firms specializing in the design and construction of marine and government facilities. He joined the Ports Authority in 1990 as an Engineering Project Manager and since has held various positions in Operations, including Terminal Manager of the North Charleston facility, Manager of Operations Process and General Manger of Operations before being promoted to Vice President, Terminal Operations in 2011.
Byron D. Miller
Mr. Miller earned bachelors degrees in French and in business administration from The College of Charleston, with a concentration in global logistics and transportation. Mr. Miller is an active volunteer on the boards of various associations, including the Propeller Club and the Charleston Motor Carriers Association. He is past Southeast Regional Vice-President for the International Propeller Club. Mr. Miller joined the Ports Authority in 1993.
Art Pruett
Mr. Pruett is Vice President, Cargo Sales, leading cargo sales efforts for South Carolina's public ports system. Previously, he served as General Manager, Carrier Sales. Before joining the Ports Authority in 2009, Mr. Pruett held various sales and management positions with Evergreen Shipping Agency (America) Corporation, where most recently he served as Junior Vice President for Evergreen's South Atlantic region. Mr. Pruett earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee and is an active member of the Propeller Club of Charleston.
Robert G. "Bob" Reinecke
Mr. Reinecke is Vice President, Global Account Sales, based in the Chicago, Ill. area. He leads Midwest sales and additional business development efforts for South Carolina's public ports system. Prior to joining the South Carolina Ports Authority in 2012, he was Director of Midwest Sales for Hanjin Shipping, where he was responsible for a 14-state region and team of sales executives. Prior to that, he served as the President and General Manager for an agricultural-based NVOCC, assisting Midwest companies export to foreign markets. The majority of his career was spent at CP Ships in various management roles across the company's brands. Reinecke later worked at Hapag-Lloyd, which acquired CP Ships in 2005. Reinecke earned a bachelor's degree in business from Western Illinois University. He is a member of several trade organizations in the Midwest and serves on the advisory panel for the United States Soybean Export Council.
Michael Stresemann
Michael Stresemann earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982. He completed the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power Training Program and served aboard two ballistic missile submarines. Mr. Stresemann completed five strategic deterrent patrols, an extended refit, a decommissioning, and an overhaul during his five years of service. He then joined the civilian workforce as a first line supervisor for E.I. DuPont. Subsequent positions included several mid-management positions with Westinghouse, Plant Manager for MRT of South Carolina, and Maintenance Superintendent for Sid Richardson Carbon Company. Mr. Stresemann joined the South Carolina Ports Authority in 1998 as the Manager, Heavy Lift Maintenance. He is currently the Vice President, Crane and Equipment Maintenance.
John M. Wheeler
John M. Wheeler joined the South Carolina Ports Authority in the fall of 2012 as Vice President, Carrier Sales, with responsibility for leading ocean carrier sales efforts for South Carolina’s public port system. Mr. Wheeler has more than 38 years of experience in the shipping industry at various levels of operations, sales and management. Most recently, he was Senior Director of Trade Development at the Georgia Ports Authority, where he oversaw all carrier sales and contract negotiation efforts as well as an international sales team and agency network spanning six continents. Prior to joining that organization in 1989, Wheeler worked as a Regional Sales Manager for Hanjin Shipping, responsible for the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
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