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After an extensive local and national search, the Port of Portland is pleased to announce Dionne Denson as the new Chief Financial Officer. She officially joins on June 10, 2019.

Denson comes to the Port from the Georgia Department of Public Health, where she worked for the last eight years and most recently served as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer—managing a $600 million budget and overseeing financial management and reporting and fiscal policy. 

“We could not be more excited to have someone as impressive as Dionne join our Executive Team,” said Port Executive Director Curtis Robinhold. “Not only will she bring proven financial skills and thoughtful leadership, she has a deep commitment to promoting service and inclusion, which are critical values to us at the Port.”

As the Chief Financial Officer, Denson will oversee the accounting, finance, budget management, audit and risk functions at the Port. She brings to this work more than 15 years of experience leading organizational transformation and growing strategic partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders.

Denson chaired the Department of Public Health’s Information System Governance Council, the executive decision-making body for information technology investments. In this role, she helped modernize the IT infrastructure across 18 public health districts covering all 159 counties in Georgia.

"The Port is a dynamic mission-driven organization and I am thrilled to join the talented leadership team,” said Denson. “This is an exciting time to join the Port. I am very much looking forward to working with everyone to continue to deliver on the Port’s strategic goals."

Prior to joining Georgia’s Department of Public Health in 2011, Denson held various budget and finance leadership positions at the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Building Authority. The new Port CFO holds a master’s degree in accounting and is a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).