Jonathan Daniels was named as executive director of the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) on December 20, 2023. Mr. Daniels came to Maryland after serving as chief executive officer and port director since 2020 at Port Everglades in Broward County, Florida and has more than 30 years of port and economic development experience.
As MPA executive director, Mr. Daniels oversees and manages the state-owned, public marine terminals of the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. In 2025, Mr. Daniels led the Port of Baltimore to its second-best year ever, handling approximately 50 million tons of cargo and setting a new annual record for containers. Baltimore also finished first among all U.S. ports in handling roll on/roll off farm and construction machinery and imported forest products, while handling the second-highest number of autos in the nation.
The MPA state-owned terminals handle autos, breakbulk, containers, cruise, farm and construction equipment, and forest products. The Port of Baltimore is one of the largest economic engines in Maryland, generating about 20,000 direct jobs, with about 273,000 jobs overall in Maryland linked to the port.
Working closely with the Port of Baltimore’s customers, tenants, and supply chain stakeholders, Mr. Daniels has led the Port of Baltimore’s business recovery from the Key Bridge incident. He is also overseeing the development and implementation of a new, 20-year master plan for the Port of Baltimore that will increase business and generate additional jobs.
At Port Everglades, Mr. Daniels led a $3 billion plan to expand business lines in containers, energy, and cruise activity. Port Everglades is the 13th busiest container port in the U.S., the busiest energy port in Florida and the third busiest cruise homeport in the world.
From 2013 through 2020, Mr. Daniels was executive director and CEO for the Mississippi State Port Authority.
In prior years, he served as executive director of the Port of Oswego in New York, managing director for the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and as port director of the Eastport Port Authority in Maine. Mr. Daniels earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science – International Politics and Foreign Affairs from The Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina, and continued his education at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine.