He is a consultant who chairs the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and served as chief of staff to former Gov. Jeb Bush.

TAMPA – Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced has appointed Mark Kaplan and reappointed Stephen Swindal to Port Tampa Bay’s board of commissioners.

“I congratulate Mark Kaplan on his appointment and welcome him to Port Tampa Bay’s board. He brings outstanding leadership and multi-faceted experience from both the public and private sectors,” Port Tampa Bay President/CEO Paul Anderson said.

Kaplan is a consultant who chairs the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. He previously was a senior vice president at the Mosaic Co., where he worked in executive positions for 11 years. Kaplan also served as chief of staff to former Gov. Jeb Bush. He was also the executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corp.

Kaplan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from the Florida State University College of Law.

Kaplan succeeds Gregory Celestan, CEO and founder of Celestar Corp., a consulting firm that provides support to the U.S. government and private industries worldwide. Celestan had served
on PTB’s board since March 2014.

“I want to thank Greg Celestan for his four years of devoted public service. Greg has been a champion for the port community and I am profoundly grateful for his exceptional commitment and leadership,” Anderson said.

Kaplan’s term ends Nov. 25, 2021.

Scott also reappointed Swindal as board chair. Swindal is the principal owner of Marine Towing of Tampa. He previously served as CEO of Bay Transportation, a tugboat operator with operations on both U.S. coasts, the Caribbean, Brazil and Mexico. Swindal’s term ends Feb. 6, 2020.

Both appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

For information about Port Tampa Bay, go to porttb.com.

Photo shows Mark Kaplan, left, and Stephen Swindal.

Port Tampa Bay | Mark Kaplan | Stephen Swindal | Rick Scott | Jeb Bush | Tampabay News

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