Port of Los Angeles Chief Harbor Engineer Shaun Shahrestani Named "LA Public Servant of the Year'

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — August 2, 2012 — Port of Los Angeles Chief Harbor Engineer Shaun Shahrestani received the “LA Public Servant of the Year Award” during the Third Annual Greater Los Angeles Engineer of the Year Gala, presented by The Friends of Engineering and Computer Science Technology, a nonprofit organization affiliated with California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA).

Shahrestani was recognized for his role as chief harbor engineer of construction at the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest container port in the nation, where he is responsible for construction management and delivery of a wide variety of infrastructure and maritime-related facilities at the 7500-acre Port complex.

“We’re fortunate to have Shaun’s experience, talent and leadership here at the Port,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “We’re spending about a million dollars a day on infrastructure and Shaun and his team have done an outstanding job making sure that those projects are completed on time and on budget.”

A 29-year City of Los Angeles employee and CSULA alumnus, Shahrestani has been responsible for the design and construction of several major Port development projects during his career. He served as program manager of the $500 million Pier 400 container terminal construction project, and has managed key Capital Improvement Projects, such as the Berth 100 container terminal and Main Channel Deepening projects.

Shahrestani is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Construction Management Association of American (CMAA), and American Public Work Association (APWA), past board member and membership chair of the California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference (CMANC), and past member of the Technical Council of Lifeline and Earthquake Engineering.

The Friends of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology was created to inspire students to become engineers, computer scientists and technologists, with the core mission of supporting educational programs at CSULA. The awards gala is held to inspire, support and transform students and recognize the top engineers and companies that contribute to economic prosperity.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port supports more than 830,000 regional jobs and $35 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. The Port of Los Angeles – A cleaner port. A brighter future.