Hamburg Sud's Robert Cannizzaro, Admiral Richard Larrabee and NYSA's Susan Winfree Join CII's Board of Directors

Holmdel, NJ - The Containerization and Intermodal Institute (CII) has announced three new appointments to its Board of Directors. They are of Robert Cannizzaro, VP, Marine and Terminal Operations for North America, Hamburg Sud, Admiral Richard Larrabee, USCG (ret.), former Port Director for the Port Authority of NY/NJ, and Susan Winfree, VP, Workforce Development and Corporate Diversity Officer, New York Shipping Association, (NYSA) to its Board of Directors.

Nearing its 60th anniversary, the Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) is a non-profit organization with an industry-education mission carried out primarily by presenting annual Connie Awards at two national events and presenting to date nearly $1 million in scholarships under its auspices to students studying maritime and logistics. The Board of Directors is comprised of industry leaders representing different sectors of the container and intermodal transportation industry.

"Rob, Rick and Susan reflect the entrepreneurial spirit that CII looks for in its board members," said Michael DiVirgilio, President, CII. "Their forward-thinking leadership styles will play significant roles in helping CII continue to fulfill its mission. Through scholarships and education programs, CII focuses on rewarding and recognizing the best and the brightest students, with the goal of encouraging them to look for a career in our industry."

Rob Cannizzaro, is a shipping executive with more than 23 years of experience in containership operations and intermodal logistics. Mr. Cannizzaro is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler and received his M.B.A. from Centenary College of New Jersey. Mr. Cannizzaro began his career at Hamburg Sud, where he has held several management-level positions, including North American Risk Manager and Assistant Vice President of Equipment and Logistics. Mr. Cannizzaro also serves as an adjunct professor at SUNY Maritime since 2012, underscoring his passion for educating the talent of tomorrow.

Committed to the growth of the industry, Mr. Cannizzaro is active in several associations, including OCEMA, where he serves as chairman of the Operations Council as well as IANA, where he has the role of arbitrator on the Dispute Resolution Panel, and is a member of the Intermodal Interchange Executive Committee.

Rick Larrabee is the recently retired Director of the Port Commerce Department of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He oversaw the management and operation of the major marine terminal facilities within the bi-state harbor, the largest port on the East Coast of North America. He served in that position from March 2000 until September 2015. He also led his department through both 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy.

Prior to joining the Port Authority, he held the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Coast Guard. He served as Commander First Coast Guard District in Boston, MA, where he oversaw all Coast Guard operations in the Northeast United States. Currently he is a Panel Member of the Transportation Research Board's Panel 50, focused on Freight Resiliency. He is also a Board Member of the National Coast Guard Museum, helping to raise the funding to design and build the first National Museum dedicated to honoring the Coast Guard's service to the nation.

Susan Winfree has more than 23 years of experience in marine and terminal operations. A graduate of the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, she has a diverse background, including leadership positions at Trans Freight Lines, Sea-Land Service, Port of Portsmouth, Port of Baltimore as well as Port of New York/New Jersey. Additionally, Susan contributed to maritime projects at Maher Terminals, Americas Systems and Paul F. Richardson Associates.

After earning her Masters Degree in teaching, Ms. Winfree spent 10 years away from the industry to become a teacher. In 2010, Ms. Winfree combined her maritime experience with her background in education to develop training, safety and education initiatives for the Port of New York/New Jersey. Her current role focuses on recruiting, hiring and training processes for labor at the port. She also serves as Labor Adjustor to resolve labor disputes on behalf of NYSA member companies and is an active in developing procedures for Collective Bargaining Agreement implementation.

Mr. DiVirgilio noted that Beverly Federko-Ott, formerly of NYSA, Captain Jon Helmick of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, and Curtis Whalen, former Executive Director of the American Trucking Associations retired from the CII Board. "Beverly, Jon and Curtis were involved in long-term valuable service for our organization and we are grateful for their multi-year contributions to CII," said DiVirgilio.