North Star Port

Together with Jonathan Lamb of Lake Superior Warehousing, DeLuca and her Port Authority team also nurtured the expansion of Duluth Cargo Connect, delivering supply chain cost savings to regional industries competing in the global marketplace. This expansion included the successful launch of the port's first monthly trans-Atlantic liner service since the late 1970s. Maritime container handling at the Clure Terminal also re-emerged during DeLuca's tenure as executive director, making Duluth-Superior one of only two United States ports on the Great Lakes to offer that service. While navigating the COVID-19 era, DeLuca oversaw the purchase and renovation of the 1907-built Seaway Building on Rice's Point (for- merly Madison School), collaborating with Kevin Beardsley, chief financial officer of the Port Authority, on a project that earned honors from the Duluth Preservation Society and provided a new home for the Port Authority adjacent to its Clure Terminal. Yvonne Prettner Solon, president of the Port Authority Board of Commissioners, credited DeLuca for continually setting and achieving ambitious goals. "Her leadership knows no bounds," said Prettner Solon. "She assem- bled a multi-talented team operating in synchrony to support a bold vision for the port. As a board, we have been impressed by her many successes, and we're grateful for her years of service." DeLuca also provided leadership beyond her home port, sharing her knack for effective policy ideation, synthesis and advocacy with several industry groups. She served as chairperson of the Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee, president of the Minnesota Ports Association and vice president of the American Great Lakes Ports Association. In addition, she served on the board of directors for the American Associ- ation of Port Authorities, the Chamber of Marine Commerce and Green Marine International. DeLuca also served on several local boards and advisory committees. In 2021, the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies presented DeLuca with its Distinguished Service Award. A University of Wisconsin graduate, DeLuca is the eighth executive director in Port Authority history and the first woman to hold the title. A search for DeLuca's successor is underway. DULUTHPORT.COM | 15 PHOTOS / Travis Anderson, Jayson Hron Steady As She Goes ROBERT T. SMITH (1957-67) DAVID W. OBERLIN (1967-69) C. THOMAS BURKE (1969-77) PAUL PELLA (1977-79) DAVIS HELBERG (1979-2003) ADOLPH N. OJARD (2003-13) VANTA E. CODA II (2013-18) DEB DELUCA (2018-25) DeLuca sets sail as the eighth executive director in Duluth Seaway Port Authority history DeLuca speaks on behalf of the Port Authority during an infrastructure press conference for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar at the Clure Terminal in April 2021.

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