WPPA awards Port of Seattle Attorney Tom Tanaka a life membership

The Washington Public Ports Association is pleased to recognize Tom Tanaka, Deputy General Counsel at the Port of Seattle. Tom has extensive and long-standing experience working with ports.  He began his legal career practicing admiralty law before joining the Port in 1985. He has been involved in high profile projects for the Port such as the creation of the noise insulation program at the airport in the 1980s and the creation of the Northwest Seaport Alliance in 2015.

He has been involved in port industry organizations for many years. He is a member of the Washington Public Ports Association Legal Committee and served as chair from 1994-2003. 

Commissioner Kathy Pittis from the Port of Anacortes, President of WPPA’s Executive Committee, introduced Tom’s award at the 2021 Annual Meeting Awards Breakfast and reflected on her own experience with his warmth and kindness when she joined the Association. Tom spoke movingly at the Award Breakfast about his involvement on port issues with WPPA, specifically recalling work he did with ports around the state to ensure that an initiative passed in the early 2000s would not harm port authorities. 

He emphasized the importance of setting aside personal politics to promote the success of ports and their partners, and his comments were well received by the packed room. The award reflects the respect he has gained throughout the Port community.