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Director Tsuneyoshi's Biography

CURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES

As Director of Boating and Waterways for the State of California, Mr. Tsuneyoshi is the administrator for all boating safety laws in the state. He works with the state legislature and the administration on boating matters and has the mandate to shut down the Sacramento Delta Waterways in emergencies. He is responsible for $100 million annually in boating access projects such as boat ramps, marinas, docks, canoe and kayaking trails; boating safety education centers; and boating safety education programs to public and private schools. His department maintains a training and certification program for marine patrol officers, and provides boats and compensation to cities and counties to provide safety patrols. In addition, his department works with the Army Corp of Engineers on small boat harbor dredging, and beach sand replenishment.

WORK HISTORY

Mr. Tsuneyoshi was the Special Advisor to the Food Safety and Inspection Services Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on employee affairs such as bargaining and non-bargaining employees.  He was the liaison between the USDA and the National Partnerships on Reinventing Government on agency and customer problems.  Before joining the USDA in March 2000, Mr. Tsuneyoshi was counsel to the Federal Maritime Commissioner for five years covering legislative activities in international and domestic container shipping in Washington, DC.  Previously, he was a Senior Claims Adjustor covering claims activities in Southern California, Nevada and Utah.  Prior to that, he was Director of Operations and Marketing for Zapata Gulf Pacific, managing a fleet of tugboats and barges from California to Alaska and Hawaii.  His entrepreneurial activities included the presidency of his own company, brokered tug services, husbanded a fleet of Canadian tugs and barges, provided tankermen for sailing and relief crews for oil operations at the dock, and marketing environmental cleanup equipment for oil spills.  He was Vice President of PacTow, a Long Beach, Calif., a tugboat company with tugs and barges in San Diego, Los Angeles and Port Hueneme.  Mr. Tsuneyoshi also spent seven years with Matson Navigation and Matson Terminals in positions ranging from warehouse supervisor to terminal administration and regional sales.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS and AWARDS

Mr. Tsuneyoshi implemented the first Occupational Safety and Health Act safety program at the Matson Terminals yard in Hawaii, and the first commercial tug service in Port Hueneme, CA, and ship docking and bunker barging in Los Angeles, Long Beach Harbor.  He led his company to buy six tractor tugs using a new propulsion technology, served on the design and implementation team in construction, then forged the sales and marketing strategy to introduce the new technology to the industry, which continues to be one of the industry standards for performance.  He devised an operating scheduling plan resulting in $350,000 annual savings in crew and boat costs.

Member of the Board of Directors and President of the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce of Los Angeles/Long Beach, The Marine Exchange of Los Angeles Long Beach, Orange County Optimist Club,
Mr. Tsuneyoshi was a member of the Port Ambassadors of Long Beach, The Propellor Club, and the National Defense Transportation Association.  He was a past Chair of Asian American Government Executive Network and the Co-Founder and first Chair of the Asian Pacific American Coalition for Presidential Appointments. He was appointed by Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta to the National Boating Safety Advisory Council in 2002.

EDUCATION

M.B.A., Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
B.A., University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI