John Driscoll

Director and Chief Executive Officer 

John C. Driscoll was named director and chief executive officer of the Alabama Port Authority in 2020. Since taking the helm, Mr. Driscoll has implemented a major capital expansion program to meet cargo volume growth in the port’s coal, container intermodal, and freight rail business lines. Between state and federal grants, public-private partnerships, and port revenue, the director is overseeing a ten-year, $2 billion capital program.

The Alabama Port Authority was named the second fastest-growing port of entry in the U.S. by Forbes magazine and is the largest steel port in the U.S. The Authority oversees the State of Alabama’s deep water facilities at the Port of Mobile and inland waterway facilities statewide. Under Driscoll’s leadership, the Port is also developing inland intermodal rail depots. In 2022 alone, the Port delivered a total economic value of $130.3 billion nationwide, over $98 billion of which was in Alabama. In addition to economic value, the Port created 453,253 jobs in the United States. Through its partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Port is actively deepening the Mobile Harbor Channel to 50 feet and widening the channel to accommodate two-way traffic. Once complete, the Port of Mobile will be the deepest port in the Gulf of Mexico.

Prior to joining the Port Authority, Mr. Driscoll was the maritime director at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, from 2014 to 2020, where he oversaw operations and marketing at one of the nation’s top container seaports. He is credited for improving Oakland’s operating efficiency and financial performance. Driscoll has also held a variety of leadership positions in the maritime industry, including at CMA CGM LLC, Maersk Line, and Sea-Land Service Inc.

Mr. Driscoll serves as chair of the board of directors of the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and is also a member of the Business Council of Alabama, among other community organizations. He earned his BS in business management from the University of Maryland.