PPA chief Richard Lazer could be the next CEO of Philly’s port
If selected, Richard Lazer, 41, would succeed former maritime industry executive Jeff Theobald as executive director and CEO of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, also known as PhilaPort.
Richard Lazer, the executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, is seen as a frontrunner to land the same job at the independent state agency that owns the city’s seaport facilities, according to sources familiar with the matter.
If selected, Lazer, 41, would succeed former maritime industry executive Jeff Theobald as executive director and CEO of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. Theobald has led the port authority, also known as PhilaPort, for a decade and plans to retire in June.
A South Philly native, Lazer has held the top post at the state-controlled PPA since 2022. Before that, he served as deputy mayor for labor under Mayor Jim Kenney, leading contract negotiations with the city’s biggest municipal unions.
PhilaPort owns marine terminals, warehouses, and other facilities along the Delaware River from Port Richmond to South Philadelphia. It leases them to private operators. Lazer has served on the agency’s board since 2019.
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The leadership transition comes as the port is growing — and as competitor ports in Baltimore, New York, and Delaware are investing in new facilities to boost cargo volume. The Port of Philadelphia in 2025 handled 889,000 container units, a record volume, though imports have been down this year.
PhilaPort last year bought 150 acres on the site of the old Philadelphia Naval Base from Norfolk Southern Corp. for $90 million in state funds. The port authority now has to decide how to use the land. Officials have said the storage area could create room for more containers and automobiles.
In addition, PhilaPort is building a new cruise terminal from which Norwegian Cruise Line will take passengers on voyages to Bermuda. Construction is ongoing, but the first voyage set sail last Thursday from a temporary facility.
The port authority’s next leader will have to manage all of that — and navigate international trade at a time when it has been disrupted by President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported goods.
Philadelphia’s port is relatively small compared to major U.S. container ports, but it is a major gateway for refrigerated cargoes such as fruit and meat.
There are also local issues on the port’s radar. City Controller Christy Brady said earlier this year that she would examine whether the port is maximizing its economic opportunities.
When Lazer took the helm at the parking authority, he pushed the organization’s mandate to include quality-of-life beyond the nuts and bolts of issuing tickets, managing curbside parking, and operating municipal parking garages.
PPA began towing thousands of abandoned vehicles from city neighborhoods after it got state authorization.
Lazer serves as Philadelphia’s representative on PhilaPort’s board — a post for which he was recommended by Kenney. Lazer, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2018.
In that race, he was backed by Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a union then led by power broker John J. Dougherty. Lazer in 2015 worked as a consultant for Local 98.
PhilaPort’s board in January authorized staff to award a $150,000 contract to a firm to conduct a search for a new executive. The port authority’s pick could be announced as early as this week, sources said.
Outgoing CEO Theobald makes an annual salary of $420,716, according to state records — among the highest of any state employee. The port authority hasn’t said what the next leader’s salary will be.
