Port of New Orleans CEO Brandy Christian, who announced her resignation on Tuesday, will be moving to a new job at a railway operator in Jacksonville, Florida.
Patriot Rail Company, a private sector rail operator that operates short-line rail systems in 24 states, said that Christian will be the company’s new CEO from June 17.
Christian had been the Port of New Orleans chief for seven years after joining as chief operating officer in 2015. Prior to that, she had worked in various capacities for the Port of San Diego for 14 years.
The new job will be her first in the private sector since she worked as a management consultant in the late 1990s.
Short rail operator
Christian described Patriot Rail as “a stellar industry pacesetter” that has “an admirable culture of employee-first collaboration.”
During her tenure as head of New Orleans’ port, Christian oversaw the acquisition of the New Orleans Public Belt Railway, which has a similar “short line” role to Patriot Rail in that they both link up port and other operators with long-haul rail links.
Patriot Rail has been owned by private equity investor Igneo Infrastructure Partners, part of First Sentier Investors Group, since 2019.