Geraldine Knatz

Geraldine Knatz began her career at the Port of Los Angeles in 1977 as a marine environmental assistant—and scuba diver—while still a student at the University of Southern California. When she wasn't transplanting kelp plants from Catalina Island to the breakwater of Los Angeles Harbor, she was diving to the floor of the harbor to measure oil pools that resulted from the explosion of the Liberian oil tanker, SS Sansinena

In a career that spanned thirty-seven years at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, Knatz advanced to various leadership positions, and she was named Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, America's largest container port. At its helm for eight years, Knatz also showcased the port’s historic resources during its year-long Centennial Celebration in 2007, ensuring century-old photographs, maps, and documents were preserved for future generations.

The author of two regional histories, Long Beach’s Los Cerritos and Terminal Island: Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor, Knatz is currently a professor of practice at the University of Southern California, with a joint appointment in the Price School of Public Policy and the Viterbi School of Engineering. Married with two children, Knatz resides in Long Beach.

Geraldine Knatz