September 3, 2025 – The Association of Pacific Ports (APP) is pleased to welcome Conchita Taitano as our newly elected President. Representing the Port Authority of Guam, Ms. Taitano assumes the role following the tenure of Ian Marr, President and CEO of the Port of Nanaimo, host of the recent APP 111th Annual Conference. “Guam is honored with this opportunity to lead,” said Ms. Taitano, adding that she was looking forward to welcoming Association members to Guam for the APP’s 112th Annual Conference in August 2026.
Serving on the Port Authority of Guam Board of Directors since 2022, Ms. Taitano, currently Vice-Chairperson for the Board, leads the portfolios of Port Sustainability and Climate Change Resilience, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks. She was the focal point for Guam’s groundbreaking Zero Waste Plan and served as Executive Director of the Zero Waste Working Group under gubernatorial appointment.
After over 30 years of service, Ms. Taitano retired from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency and was the former Air and Land Division Administrator. Her extensive involvement in environmental affairs includes serving as the 45th President of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials from 2019-2020, becoming the first individual from the U.S. territories and of color to hold this position.
Internationally, she served as Special Representative on Research & Knowledge Management for the Micronesian Center for a Sustainable Future and was appointed as a Private Sector Advisor on the US Delegation to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) IGR-2 meeting in Beijing. Additionally, she has served as a technical resource for training events sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and USEPA across the Pacific and Southeast Asia regions.
Ms. Taitano holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and Master of Science in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. She holds a Professional Certificate in Sustainability from MIT, where she received the Fire Hydrant Award for her group’s Impact Project for Mexico City, and she has completed advanced certifications in Environmental Policy Making and Negotiations from UNESCO Water Institute in the Delft, Netherlands, and Environment and Sustainable Development from the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan.
In accepting the president’s role for APP, Ms. Taitano recognized the importance of the Association, noting that: “For Pacific Islanders, the Ocean is not something that separates us. It connects us. It is our teacher, our pathway and our shared inheritance. This is what the Association of Pacific Ports represents – a family of ports and communities tied not just by shipping lanes or economic activity, but by common purpose. Whether we are managing massive terminals or small island ports, we all play a vital role in the sustainability and security of our respective region, country, home and family.”
Joining Ms. Taitano on the APP Executive Committee for the 2025/26 year, are:
Officers
President – Conchita Taitano (Guam)
First Vice President/Treasurer – Kirk DeJesus (Stockton, California)
Second Vice President — Barney Sene/Tumua Matuu (American Samoa)
Third Vice President — Zoran Knezevic (Port Alberni, British Columbia)
Past President – Ian Marr (Nanaimo, British Columbia)
Regional Representatives
Chan-Jung Chang (Taiwan) – Asia
Ian Marr (Nanaimo) – Northwest — B.C./AK
Sara Young / Kevin Ware (Skagit, WA) – Northern U.S. – WA/OR
Sharon Weissman (Long Beach, CA) – Southern California
Jerry Nathan (Republic of Marshall Islands) – Pacific Islands
Captain Manuel Fernando Gutiérrez Gallardo (Mexico) — Mexico
At-Large Representatives
Kim B. Puzey (Oregon)
Esther Ada (Commonwealth Northern Mariana Islands)
Chin-Jung Wang (Taiwan)
Associate Member Sub-Committee Representatives
Jeannie Beckett, The Beckett Group
Joe Carrillo, SSA Marine
For more information, please contact:
Jane McIvor, Executive Director
Association of Pacific Ports
300 – 1275 West 6th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6H 1A6 Canada
jane@pacificports.org / 604-893-8800
