COMMISSIONERS

Jay K. Potesta was appointed Secretary/Treasurer for the Ports of Indiana Commission in 2005 and serves as a special advisor to the board. Potesta had previously served as a Port Commissioner and has vast experience in industry and organized labor. He is heavily involved in numerous boards and organizations throughout Indiana and currently serves as business manager and financial secretary for Sheet Metal Workers Local Union No. 20.

A native of Northwest Indiana, Potesta was born in East Chicago, Ind., and attended Hammond High School. Now a resident of Indianapolis, Potesta and his wife Pamela have two children, Melanie and Joseph, and two grandchildren, Mia and Anthony. Potesta has a B.A. in Music Education from VanderCook College, and an A.S. in Labor Studies from Indiana University.

Potesta became a journeyman Sheet Metal Worker in 1980. Before becoming business manager in 1994, he was elected business representative of the Gary area in 1989. As business manager for the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 20, Potesta is very involved in many organizations which relate to his duties. He is a vice president of the Indiana State Building Trades Council and the Indiana State AFL-CIO. He is president of the Great Lakes States Council of Sheet Metal Workers, and a past president of the Hammond School Board.

Potesta was also appointed by Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson as chairman of the Mayor’s Labor Advisory Committee, as well as a member of the Capital Improvement Board, the Commission on Diversity and the Advisory Board of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Board. Potesta served as the national building trades coordinator for Congresswoman Julia Carson in 1998, and is a registered lobbyist with the Indiana General Assembly. Potesta also serves as trustee of the Gary Area Pension Fund, the Indianapolis Area Pension Fund, the Statewide Health & Welfare Fund, the Statewide Joint Apprenticeship and Training Trust and is chairman of the Statewide Annuity Fund. Potesta is also a Master Mason and a Shriner with the Orak Shrine in Michigan City.