2026 HONOREES
Griff Lynch
2026 Connie Award
Griff Lynch serves as CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, an 1,800-person strong state authority which owns and operates strategic port terminals serving American commerce.
In this role, Lynch oversees the nation’s third-busiest gateway for containerized trade in Savannah, and the number-one-busiest auto port complex in the nation, in Brunswick. Together, these form one of the largest economic engines in the Southeastern United States.
Before being named President and CEO in 2016, Lynch served as the GPA’s Chief Operating Officer for five years. A proven leader in the maritime industry, he brings more than 38 years of operational and commercial experience to the Georgia Ports Authority team.
GPA’s CEO transition plan calls for President Kevin Price to take on the President and CEO role on August 1, 2027 when Lynch will retire.
Rebecca F. Dye
2026 Lifetime Achievement Award
Commissioner Rebecca F. Dye has served successive terms on the Federal Maritime Commission under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joseph Biden, and Donald J. Trump. She has been a champion of free‑market solutions for transportation inefficiencies and has promoted deregulation to benefit the U.S. economy. She has led groundbreaking investigations in support of American exporters, importers, truckers, shipping intermediaries, and international ocean carriers, including three Fact Finding investigations.
In 2010, Commissioner Dye led Fact Finding 26, a review of vessel capacity and equipment availability in the United States’ export and import liner trades. She also led the Supply Chain Innovation Team, where she worked with U.S. international supply chain stakeholders to develop commercial solutions to supply chain challenges and related port congestion concerns. She also led Fact Finding 28, an investigation into detention and demurrage practices at ports, and Fact Finding 29, which identified operational solutions to cargo delivery challenges related to the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Prior to her appointment to the Federal Maritime Commission, Commissioner Dye served as Counsel and Staff Director of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that position, she played a pivotal role in the development and negotiated enactment of significant maritime legislation, including the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 and the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002.
Commissioner Dye began her federal career as a commissioned officer and attorney in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of the Chief Counsel, then served as a law instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. After two years as an attorney at the U.S. Maritime Administration, she joined the staff of the former U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, where she served as Minority Counsel. Over her years of service, Commissioner Dye has gained invaluable knowledge of the maritime sector, enabling her to better serve both industry stakeholders and the broader American public.
THE 2026 CONNIE AWARDS NEWARK
December 7, 2026
Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott Hotel
newark, NJ
10:00 AM - scholarship reception
10:45 AM - cocktail reception
NOON - Luncheon and Awards Ceremony
Newark Liberty International AIRport Marriott Hotel
1 hotel road
newark, New Jersey 07114
(973) 623-0006
Book your group rate for CONNIE AWARDS LUNCHEON 2026
Book your group rate for Connie Award Luncheon
Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott for 163.00 USD per night
Last Day to Book : Monday, November 8, 2026
