Robert W. Portiss*

Bob Portiss joined the Port of Catoosa staff in March 1973, and on July 1, 1984, Portiss was elevated to Port Director serving until 2017. Portiss is a five-term Chairman of the National Waterways Conference in Washington, D.C. He has also served as the Chairman of the Inland Waterway Committee of the National Transportation Research Board. Additionally, he served 6 years as a member of the National Marine Board. For his leadership on the McClellan-Kerr waterway, he has been named a Water Pioneer by the State of Oklahoma. In August 2009, Portiss was awarded the Bronze de Fleury Medal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In October 2013, he was named Communicator of the Year and received a Bronze Quill award from the Tulsa chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. And in October 2015, Portiss was named a Champion of Change in a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., honored as a leader who has devoted time and efforts to developing innovative ways to use transportation to help his community reach new heights. Portiss holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Economics from North Dakota State University.