Louis Sola has been designated by President Donald Trump as chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.
Sola, a Republican, has served as an FMC commissioner since 2019 when he was nominated during the first Trump administration.
The FMC is an independent federal agency responsible for regulating international ocean commerce as it relates to U.S. interests.
The chairman also serves as chief executive and administrative officer, and directs the agency’s agenda.
Sola replaces Democrat Daniel B. Maffei, who was designated as chairman by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The five-member commission serving staggered five-year terms also includes Rebecca Dye, a Republican who was first appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, and Democrat Max Vekich, who was appointed by Biden in 2021.
There is one vacant commissioner position after Trump appointee Carl Bentzel resigned in December to become president of the National Association of Waterfront Employers.
Sola had worked as a megayacht broker in Panama prior to joining the FMC, according to his agency biography. From 1998-2004, he served as a consultant with Berkshire Capital and Arden and Price while raising his family in the Panama Canal Zone.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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