Port of Brownsville names its police chief as interim director

With the departure of Eduardo Campirano as port director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville, Brownsville Navigation District commissioners have named William G. Dietrich, the port’s chief of police, interim head as the search for Campirano’s successor continues.

A national search for a new port director began in August when Campirano, who stepped down the end of December, announced he would not seek a contract extension. He had served as port director for more than 16 years.

BND board Chairman Esteban Guerra said that “building upon record achievements, the (port) is on the path for tremendous growth.”

“As the search for a port director continues, we are confident Mr. Dietrich will leverage his experience to steer the port and our region forward in the interim,” he said.

Dietrich is a U.S. Army veteran who served the Brownsville Police Department for 26 years as part of the Uniformed Services Command, Investigative Services Command, Special Investigations Unit and the Hazardous Devices Unit. He retired as commander before joining the port in July 2022. Dietrich holds a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Texas at Brownsville (now University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) and a master’s in leadership management from Western Governor’s University.

He called the port a “beacon of economic development with private and public investments benefiting the region and state.

“I am honored to work with our port staff, business community and stakeholders to contribute to the ongoing legacy for which the port is renowned,” Dietrich said.

Current infrastructure improvements at the port, which encompasses 40,000 acres and is the only deep-water seaport directly on the U.S.-Mexico border, include a new 118-acre business park as well as the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement project, a major dredging project to deepen the 17-mile-long Brownsville Ship Channel from 42 feet to 52 feet.

The port is also the site of NextDecade Corporation’s multi-billion-dollar Rio Grande LNG terminal, construction of which over the next several years is forecast to create thousands of jobs locally. The port’s annual cargo tonnage likewise continues to increase, jumping from 66th to 55th place among the top 150 maritime ports in the country between 2020 and 2022 in terms of waterborne cargo, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineer rankings.

The port handles more steel bound for Mexico, much of it used by car and truck manufacturers, which are returning to pre-pandemic production levels, than any other U.S. port. The trans-shipment of aluminum is also growing, as manufacturers use more of it vehicles, and wind turbine components remain a significant source of business. The multi-modal transportation hub (water, rail and truck) serves the Rio Grande Valley and northern Mexico.