AUGUSTA — Matthew Burns has been named Executive Director of The Maine Port Authority. MPA Board members voted unanimously last month to hire Burns, who had been serving as interim Executive Director for the past year. He officially began his new role on May 1.

Burns is a 2004 Maine Maritime Academy graduate who has nearly two decades of marine transportation expertise. He has a strong knowledge of federal and state government funding programs and regulatory requirements for vessels and port facilities. Burns also holds a Second Mate Unlimited U.S. Coast Guard Deck Officer's License.

After spending 13 years as a deck officer on passenger ships, tankers, dredges, and ultra-deep-water drill ships around the world, Burns joined the Maine Department of Transportation in 2017 as Director of Ports and Marine Transportation. In that role, he was responsible for planning, funding, and managing maritime infrastructure projects in Maine's seaports. He also coordinated the department's Small Harbor Improvement Program (SHIP) and Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) Program. He has twice served as interim Executive Director of the Maine Port Authority.

"This position garnered a lot of interest from around New England and beyond," said Wade Merritt, president of the Maine International Trade Center, who led the MPA's search committee. "Matt's combination of maritime and portside experience, leadership qualities, and understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the state and the Maine Port Authority's role in helping solve them made him the consensus choice over serious competition. I'm looking forward to working with him, not just as a member of the MPA board, but also in our complementary roles developing opportunities for Maines internationally active businesses."

"Matt's maritime background, interpersonal skills and solution-oriented approach, coupled with the strong relationships within the port industry, will serve the MPA and Maine," said Bruce Van Note, MaineDOT Commissioner and Chair of the Maine Port Authority Board. "Our team is proud of the work Matt has done for our state, and we look forward to his future successes as he works to move Maine's ports forward strategically. Matt is a trusted leader and partner, and we know he will do a great job as the MPA's permanent Executive Director."

"I want to thank the members of the Maine Port Authority board for giving me the privilege to serve the people of the State of Maine in this role," said Burns. "I have always felt a very close connection to the sea and always wanted to pursue a career on the ocean. After working on vessels and in ports all around the world, I was fortunate to be able to join MaineDOT in 2017. In my role there and as interim Executive Director of the MPA, I have been able to build valuable relationships with public and private stakeholders across the globe. I look forward to continuing to build on these relationships as we work to strengthen Maine's ports."

Burns lives in Winthrop with his wife, Michelle, and their two young daughters, Rosalyn and Evelyn.