Geraldine Knatz

Biography

Geraldine Knatz is Professor of the Practice of Policy and Engineering, a joint appointment between the USC Price School of Public Policy and the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. At the Price School, Dr. Knatz teaches as well as conducts research in affiliation with the METRANS Transportation Center. In 2014, Knatz was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of her international leadership in the development of environmentally clean urban seaports. That same year she was honored with Containerization & Intermodal Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Knatz served as the director of the Port of Los Angeles from 2006 to January 2014. She was the first woman to serve in this role and made a significant impact through the creation and implementation of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, an aggressive plan that reduced air emissions by combined port operations of over 70 percent over five years. The Clean Air Action Plan and its Clean Truck Plan component is recognized around the world for its innovation and success.

Prior to directing the Port of Los Angeles, Dr. Knatz was the managing director of the Port of Long Beach where she also led a number of environmental initiatives, including the Green Port Policy and Truck Trip Reduction Program.

Dr. Knatz is a past and present member of several boards. She is a past member of the Viterbi School of Engineering Board of Councilors, past president of the American Association of Port Authorities and past president of the International Association of Ports and Harbors, and was the founding chairman of the World Port Climate Initiative. She served as a gubernatorial appointee for ten years on the California Ocean Protection Council. She is the vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees of Altasea at the Port of Los Angeles.

Internationally recognized for her accomplishments, Dr. Knatz has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Women in Transportation (Journal of Commerce, 2007), Woman Executive of the Year (Los Angeles Business Journal, 2007), Compass Award (Women’s Leadership Exchange, 2008), honorary PhD, Maine Maritime Academy (2009), and the Peter Benchley Ocean Award (Blue Frontier Campaign, 2012).