Alabama Port Executive John Driscoll Retires

The Alabama Port Authority has announced that John Driscoll, the port authority’s director and CEO since 2020, has retired. Driscoll announced his decision to retire at the port authority’s August 26 meeting. The board of directors named Doug Otto, the port’s chief engineering officer, as interim director. A search for a new, permanent director has already begun.

“As director, John has implemented major capital projects that will position the port for future growth,” said Zeke Smith, chair of the Alabama Port Authority’s board of directors. “These include the deepening and widening of the Port of Mobile’s ship channel, new investments at the McDuffie Coal Terminal and the APM container terminal and breaking ground on the Montgomery Intermodal Container Facility. We thank him for his service to the state of Alabama and wish him well in retirement.”

In announcing his decision to retire, Driscoll focused on the Port of Mobile team and his family.

“The Alabama Port Authority is truly a world-class operation,” Driscoll said. “I am proud of our achievements that we have made as a team. Those accomplishments have positioned the port to provide excellent service for our customers for generations to come. While I’ll miss the port and the people associated with it, it is time for me to focus on my wife, children and extended family.”

Otto, a native of Mobile, Ala., has been with the Alabama Port Authority since January 2022. Prior to joining the port, he was chief of the engineering division for the Mobile Engineer District. Besides his time with the Corps of Engineers, Otto also served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for more than 30 years. While in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he served as a C-130/WC-130 instructor and evaluator pilot and as squadron commander of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the “Hurricane Hunters.”

“From his time as chief engineering officer at the port to his extensive background with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Doug is well-positioned to lead the port authority through this transition as we continue to enhance major projects in the coming months,” Smith said.