Laura G. Blair was appointed to Vice President of Administration and External Affairs for the North Carolina State Ports Authority in March of 2016, after joining the Ports in March 2008.
As Vice President of Administration and External Affairs, she works closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors, and is an integral part of the Authority’s planning and development team. Ms. Blair oversees human resources, communications and public affairs functions for the Authority, managing administration as well as strategic internal and external communications. She also leads the Authority’s work with members of local governments as well as the State of North Carolina and the Federal government. She is the current project manager for the Wilmington Harbor Navigation Improvement Project.
Prior to joining the Authority, Ms. Blair spent nearly a decade serving in various staff capacities in the North Carolina Congressional delegation. She served as the district director for policy and economic development in the office of U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre. She also served as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate, specializing in federal appropriations, agriculture policy, rural economy and hurricane redevelopment.
Ms. Blair holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of the American Society for Public Administration, a member of the North Carolina Chamber Infrastructure Economic Development Committee and the North Carolina Water Resources Congress Executive Committee. She is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina.
