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Welcome to

Dedication

Meet the Board of Commissioners 

Smit/ Guillory
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Bill Darling
President

Ward 1

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Bill Darling has represented Ward 1 as a Port of Beaumont Commissioner since 2013.

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Darling, a Beaumont native, is the Beaumont Market President for Hancock Whitney Bank. He has more than three decades of banking experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Lamar University.

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Active in the community, Darling serves on the board of Catholic Charities and is an advisory board member for Anayat House, non-profit organization providing overnight accommodations for family members of patients at Beaumont hospitals. 

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Darling and his wife Christine have three children, Emily Wilson (Brock), Will Darling (Allison) and John Darling and recently welcomes their first grandchild, Hugh Wilson.

LaRue Smith 
Commissioner

Ward 3

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LaRue Smith has represented Ward 3 as a Port of Beaumont Commissioner since 2021.

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A native of Marshall, Texas, Smith is a retired educator of 37 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mathematics from Prairie View A & M University.

 

Active in the community, she serves on the City of Beaumont Library Commission for Ward IV, is a nominating committee member for Education First Federal Credit Union, a member of the Beaumont Association of Retired Teachers, and a former board member of Sabine Oaks Nursing Home, among other things. Smith has also given her time to Lamar University as a mentor to teacher interns and served as a TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) specialist, presenting workshops to teachers and students.

 

Smith has one daughter and three grandchildren.  

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Louis Broussard
Secretary-Treasurer

At-Large

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Louis Broussard has served as a Port of Beaumont Commissioner since 2001. He served as board president from June 2020-June 2021. 

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Broussard joined Beaumont Rice Mills in 1978 and has served as the company’s president since 1993. He is on the Rice Millers’ Association’s board of directors and is very active in the promotion of international rice trade. Additionally, Broussard is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foreign Trade Zone of Southeast Texas, Inc. 

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A member of a pioneer Beaumont family, Broussard received a BBA degree from Lamar University in 1983. 

Pat Anderson
Commissioner

Ward 2

Pat Anderson

Pat Anderson was elected to the Port of Beaumont Board of Commissioners in 2013. He was elected board vice president in June 2021. Anderson served as board vice president from 2018 to 2019.

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Anderson serves the community as a volunteer deputy sheriff for Jefferson County and is active in a number of civic and charitable organizations throughout Southeast Texas. Anderson also volunteers with Catholic Charities and the Ben J. Rogers Regional Visitors Center.

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Anderson serves on the Salvation Army advisory board, is a past president of the Rotary Club of Beaumont and is head of the club’s flag project. He is also a member of the Jefferson Theatre Preservation Society’s board of directors.

Anderson is an active member at North End Baptist Church; a lifetime member, past president and current Young Men’s Business League (YMBL); past president of the West End Optimist Club; and past chairman of the American Cancer Society Cattle Baron’s Ball. 

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Anderson has been named “Ambassador Emeritus” for the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and is a past board president. He also is a graduate of Leadership Beaumont, Leadership Southeast Texas and the FBI Citizens Academy. Anderson holds a master peace officer certificate.

Georgine Guillory 
Commissioner

Ward 4

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Georgine Guillory has served as a Port of Beaumont Commissioner since 2003. She was elected board president in June 2021, becoming the first woman appointed to the position. Guillory was the board’s secretary-treasurer from 2007 to 2020. 

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A lifelong resident of Beaumont, Guillory is employed as a Resource Coordinator with Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas and is very active in civic and community affairs. She serves on the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee, the Lamar University Alumni Association board and the Julie Rogers Gift of Life Foundation board.

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Guillory is the founder of Pioneering Women, an organization which honors women in the community for their professional, philanthropic and vocational contributions, and helps promising students pay for higher education. She also volunteers for the American Legion Post No. 817.  

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Guillory is a graduate of Lamar University, a member of the 2000 class of Leadership Beaumont and the Texas Leadership Academy.  She has been recognized by state and federal lawmakers, was named Woman of the Year by the National Association of University Women-Beaumont and was called a Most Influential Woman by 12News-KBMT in 2018.

David Willard
Vice President

At-Large

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David Willard was elected Port of Beaumont Commissioner At-Large in 2019.

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Willard is an award-winning educator, author, editor, and community servant.  In his nearly 30-year career in education, he has worked in some of the nation’s finest schools and currently serves as Middle School Dean of Students at All Saints Episcopal School in Beaumont 

 

He also serves on the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System Regional Board, the CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Advisory Board and the Green Dot Public Schools of Southeast Texas Board, among others.

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Willard’s commitment to service is richer and deeper due to his devotion to family, community, and place.  He strives to follow in the footsteps of his forebears as an advocate of Beaumont.

Broussard / Willard
Darling /Andeson

Board of Commissioner's 
Code of Ethics

Maintain the highest standards of professional conduct and personal integrity, be honest and straightforward in dealings with others and conduct Port business in a positive, open and cooperative manner.

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Place the interest of the taxpayers of the District above all others in conducting Port business and ensure that the Port operates in a fiscally responsible manner.

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Avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety to ensure the public’s confidence and trust in the Board of Commissioners.

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Govern the affairs of the Port of Beaumont fairly, equitably and impartially without discrimination and in accordance with the Port of Beaumont’s mission and its Enabling Act, as amended.

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Promote the highest ethical standards and refrain from illegal or unethical conduct while in the service of the public as Port Commissioner.

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Passed by the Board of Commissioners of the Port of Beaumont Navigation District of Jefferson County, Texas, July 18, 1995.

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