BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Port of Brownsville announces the promotion of a new director of finance and the appointment of a new director of special projects.

Lorena Hernandez, CPA, is the port’s new finance director following the retirement of Steve Fitzgibbons. Fitzgibbons served as the port’s finance director for more than five years.

Hernandez manages the port’s nine-member financial team, winner of six consecutive Certificates of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting presented by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). She was previously assistant finance director.

Prior to joining the port, Hernandez worked for a local CPA firm and served as an internal auditor for the University of Texas System. She is a Class 1 Assessor/Collector and an active member of the Texas Association of Assessing Officers, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the GFOA.

In 2013, Hernandez graduated from the University of Texas at Brownsville (now UTRGV) with a B.B.A. in accounting. She became licensed as a CPA in 2015. She is currently pursuing a Master of Accountancy from UTRGV.

Also, Jose Herrera joins the port staff as special projects director.

In his new position, Herrera is responsible for managing all aspects of port special projects, ensuring each is carried through from inception to completion. Prior to joining the port, he was the president of the Brownsville Economic Development Council (BEDC).

A successful entrepreneur, Herrera was president, founder, and owner of US Herr Industrial Metals, a local manufacturing company. He has served the community as a trustee at Valley Regional Medical Center and the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees, as well as board member and chairman for the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation and the BEDC.

Herrera graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. in microbiology. He is a veteran having served in the U.S. Navy.