The Port Authority of Kansas City is governed by a board of commissioners who are appointed by the mayor and city council. Commissioners are volunteers who serve four-year terms.
Current members of the Port Authority Board of Commissioners:
George E. Wolf, Chairman
George Wolf is a partner with the Shook, Hardy & Bacon law firm, where he is a member of the Executive Committee and is the chair of the General Litigation and Business Services Division.
He earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri and his law degree from Northwestern University. In addition to serving on the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority, George is a member of the board of directors for the Downtown Council and Friends of the River-Kansas City. He lives with his wife and two children in the Brookside area.
Shomari Benton
Shomari Benton practices environmental and real estate law at Finch & Campbell LLP in downtown Kansas City, MO and also owns a men’s clothing store, Method, in Kansas City’s Crossroads neighborhood. He has previously been active with the not-for-profit organization GreenWorks, focusing on environmental education and workforce development for urban teens. He is a 2005 graduate of the University of Missouri School Of Law in Columbia.
Linda Clark
Linda Clark is a registered professional engineer and a retired assistant district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation. In that capacity she oversaw planning and design of transportation improvements in Cass, Clay, Henry, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, and Ray counties.
Clark joined the MoDOT in 1983 and held various positions of increasing responsibility before being named a planning manager in 1998. She was promoted to assistant district engineer in 2002.
continue readingClark earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Kansas.
John Fierro
John Fierro has a strong public administration and civic engagement background. John and his wife Loretta are lifelong Kansas City natives residing in the Westside neighborhood.
He is the President/CEO of Mattie Rhodes Center and formerly was the President of the Board of Commissioners for the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, serving as its first Latino President.
John has extensive experience in fundraising, strategic planning and consensus building. He holds an executive MBA from Rockhurst University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Park University.
Dan Fowler, treasurer
Dan Fowler is an attorney and member of the law firm of Collins Fowler LLC. His practice focuses on business litigation, corporate and commercial law, transportation law and family law.
Professionally Dan is a member of the Missouri Bar, where he chaired the Civil Practice and Procedure Committee from 1986-1990, the Kansas Bar, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Platte and Clay Counties’ bar associations. He has also published articles on various aspects of litigation.
continue readingDan currently serves as President of the MetroCare Board of Directors, is the past President and current board member of the Northland Healthcare Access Board of Directors, President of the Board of Directors of Northland Neighborhoods, Inc. and treasurer of Forward Kansas City.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Dana Gibson
Dana Gibson has since 1984 focused on the restoration and creative redevelopment of downtown Kansas City, its buildings and its neighborhoods.
Through their development entity, Mallin/Gibson Properties, of which Dana is managing partner, Dana and Mel Mallin have created and operated loft apartments, condominiums, gallery, studio, office and retail spaces in the River Market and Historic Garment District communities of Kansas City.
continue readingHis firm has served as a consultant for the redevelopment of historic buildings and communities both locally and nationally.
In addition to his service to the Kansas City Port Authority, Dana serves on the boards of the River Market Community Association, the River Market Community improvement District, the Westside Housing Organization, the Kansas City Parking and Transportation Commission, and is the immediate past Chair of the Downtown Council Housing Task Force.
Juan Rangel, Jr.
Juan M. Rangel, Jr., is the Director of Community Engagement for Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. He is also a part time faculty member at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.
Before joining MCC in 2006, Rangel worked for 12 years for the National Conference for Community and Justice, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism through education, awareness-building and conflict resolution training. At NCCJ (now Harmony), Rangel was instrumental in bringing the acclaimed Anytown youth leadership program to Kansas City and in developing the Unitown and Collegetown programs for high school and college students. Prior to working for NCCJ, he worked for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Education Service Center.
continue readingRangel lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his son. He earned bachelor’s degrees in international business, marketing, and Spanish from Northwest Missouri State in 1991 and earned a master’s degree in urban education from Kansas State University in 2004.
In addition to his service on the Port Authority Board, Rangel currently serves on the boards of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, UMKC Women’s Center, Truman Medical Center, Guadalupe Center Inc., Heartland Men’s Chorus, and Research Development Institute. He has also served on the boards of Northwest Missouri State University, the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, the Kauffman Fund, Synergy, and Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Vicki Richmond, ex-officio member
Vicki Richmond runs Healthy Rivers Partnership. She became involved in river clean-ups in the early 90’s with her work as a volunteer, then coordinator, on the Blue River Rescue in Kansas City.
Her water and ecological restoration projects have earned many awards, including the Missouri Department of Conservation “Master Conservationist Award”, Conservation Federation of Missouri “Water Conservationist of 2006”, and the Waterfront Center’s international “Clearwater Award” in 2010.
Vicki lives in the Brookside area of Kansas City with her husband, two sons and a small menagerie of well-loved pets.