Rich Byrnes Keynote Speaker - Luncheon

Rich Byrnes
Chief Port Infrastructure Officer
Port of Houston Authority

Rich Byrnes is the Port’s Chief Infrastructure Officer. His team supports regional commerce and trade by focusing on Port Planning, Construction, Asset Management, the Houston Ship Channel, Freight Mobility, Environment, and Technical Analytics. Rich is a frequent speaker on topics including the Houston Ship Channel Expansion, the Port’s 2040 Plan, and Sustainability.

Rich’s career spans engineering, operations and consulting across transportation and oil & gas industries. Starting at the South Pole, Antarctica managing supply chain, he moved into oilfield engineering in Saudi Arabia and Syria, and later led business and technical consulting units at Schlumberger and Halliburton. He has consulted with energy and transportation corporations and governments worldwide on strategy, organization, and performance improvement.

Rich holds two Master’s from MIT, in Ocean Systems Management and in Technology and Policy; a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara; an Associate’s in Mathematics from Long Beach City College; and leadership certificates from Texas A&M.

He has also taught Leadership at Texas A&M and Strategic Management at the University of Maryland. Rich lives in the Houston area, is on the Board of STEM-E Youth Career Development Program, and has been an avid supporter of STEM education and youth sports.