Port of Seattle executives David Soike, chief operating officer, and Jeff Hollingsworth, director of risk management, will present “Planes, Ships, Cyber, and Internships — Managing Business Risk at the Port of Seattle” 5–6:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in the CUB Auditorium on the Washington State University Pullman campus.
The presentation is the Carson College of Business’s 30th annual Walton Lecture, free to the public.
Soike (’80) has worked for the Port of Seattle since 1980 in different roles, beginning as a junior engineer in the engineering department and quickly advancing to positions in project management and work in the maritime and aviation divisions. He became COO in 2016 and is responsible for the centers of expertise for environmental sustainability and engineering, procurement, police and port construction services, along with executive sponsorship of the international arrivals facility and other functions. He has a strong background in strategic planning and has managed significant capital improvement projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where he also served as a senior operations manager, capital development leader and deputy director of aviation. He has experience in finance, planning, program management and marketing.
Hollingsworth has worked for the Port of Seattle since 2004. He leads the risk management department which provides support and expertise to all port divisions in the areas of loss prevention, contractual risk transfer, construction risk, claims management, enterprise risk management, self-funding of benefits and general risk financing. Prior to joining the port, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Northwest Regional Office on fire and life safety programs for new air traffic control towers. He also worked with the Boeing Corporation and as a loss prevention engineer with FM Global, a commercial property insurance company. Hollingsworth is a professional civil and fire protection engineer and holds several industry designations including certified safety professional, certified risk manager and chartered property and casualty underwriter.
The Port of Seattle is a special purpose government entity formed in 1911 under enabling legislation in the state of Washington and has the authority to run Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as well as various marine-related operations. In 2016, the Northwest Seaport Alliance was formed as a port development authority within the state, consisting of an equal partnership in management of assets and operations of the Port of Tacoma and Port of Seattle.
Each fall, the Walton Lecture brings a distinguished leader in insurance and risk management to campus to share professional perspectives. The lecture is hosted by the WSU Carson College of Business’s Department of Finance and Management Science and made possible through an endowment from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Washington. The endowment honors Max Walton, the group’s past president.
