MARAD's Orlando Gotay Abruptly Resigns

The Maritime Administration Deputy Administrator Orlando Gotay left his position abruptly on Friday. The agency did not give a reason for the departure.

The Puerto Rico native was with Marad since late 2009, and officially became the agency’s chief operating officer in June 2010. Before joining the government, he was counsel to the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and general manager of the San Juan Port Commission.

The agency also has been criticized by maritime industry officials, including shippers, for slow action on a number of fronts.

Orlando Gotay was sworn in as Deputy Maritime Administrator on June 2010. He joined the Maritime Administration as Senior Advisor for Maritime Policy in late 2009.

As the Agency’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Gotay assists the Maritime Administrator by overseeing the activities of the Maritime Administration and also by spearheading various important initiatives.

Mr. Gotay was instrumental in the selection and appointment of the eleventh Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, and leads the Capital development strategy for the Academy.

In March 2010, he led the United States delegation to the Working Group 3 to the United Nations-sponsored Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Mr. Gotay also lectures on a variety of maritime topics, such as the America’s Marine Highway, and maritime security initiatives.

Prior to service in the Obama Administration, Mr. Gotay was Counselor to the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was the first General Manager of the San Juan Port Commission, a municipal entity created in 2007 to increase the city’s maritime presence, foster the growth of a healthy maritime industry, and improve existing conditions at the port.

He was also the Mayor’s representative before the Puerto Rico State Legislature and served as the Mayor’s speechwriter, as the first City bicycle and pedestrian coordinator and the Mayor’s liaison to the City Council.

Mr. Gotay also worked as an advisor at the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
Prior to relocating back to his native San Juan, Mr. Gotay had a private tax practice in San Francisco, California. He also worked as an associate at the state and local taxation department of the consulting firm now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr. Gotay was an officer in the U.S. Navy. He is a 1987 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD and served in the engineering departments onboard the USS Valdez and the USS Belknap, flagship of the US Sixth Fleet, home ported in Gaeta, Italy.After leaving the Navy, Mr. Gotay obtained a law degree and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. He is a member of the California bar and is licensed to practice before the US Tax Court, and federal courts in the districts of Northern California and Puerto Rico.  Mr. Gotay is a technical diver, an amateur radio operator (WP4NPV); speaks four languages and is the U.S. Naval Academy information officer for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.