Executive Moves: BlueGrace Logistics, Port of Seattle

Justin Pinchback is hired as chief people officer and Bookda Gheisar is named senior director for equity, diversity and inclusion.

   BlueGrace Logistics announced Wednesday that Justin Pinchback has joined the company as the chief people officer.
   Pinchback (pictured above) will be responsible for all recruiting, training, employee engagement and human resources.
   He comes to Tampa, Fla.-headquartered BlueGrace from Citadel, a financial services company based in Chicago. BlueGrace said Pinchback “brings a passion for human capital innovation, data-driven approaches and industry-leading human capital systems engineering.”
   BlueGrace CEO Bobby Harris said a nationwide search was conducted for the most talented executive available and that Pinchback’s “experience in recruiting and developing the best and brightest candidates across the United States will serve BlueGrace well as we look to double our employee base and achieve our goal to become a multibillion dollar company.”
   In addition to Citadel, Pinchback worked for Bain & Company, HSBC and Moody’s.

   The Port of Seattle announced Wednesday that Bookda Gheisar will serve as the port’s first senior director for equity, diversity and inclusion and will lead its first-ever Equity Department beginning June 12.
   Gheisar had served as the policy adviser for the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice.
   She will provide leadership and strategic direction for the port’s internal and external equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. Gheisar also will oversee the port’s Office of Social Responsibility as well as the implementation and use of the port’s new equity process tool.
   “Reversing unconscious bias and institutional racism in any organization requires deliberate change,” said Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck. “We are very grateful to our community partners. Their feedback and advice helped push the port to make a groundbreaking institutional change by establishing an Equity Department and shaping our strategy to better reach communities that were too often overlooked.”

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Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.