The Future of Maritime: The Amazing Women in Maritime 2026

By Natasha Villa, External Affairs Manager, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association

If you had asked me what to expect going into my second year of this campaign, I would have thought I had a predictable answer, something close to the year before. These Amazing Women in Maritime changed that completely. 

This is the second year of Amazing Women in Maritime, and if anything, it has only deepened my conviction that the future of this industry is not just bright, it is in extraordinarily good hands. The women I had the privilege of sitting down with this year are leading ports, running terminals, shaping policy, navigating vessels, and doing it all with a level of passion and purpose that is genuinely hard to put into words. 

What struck me most is that while so many of us share similar experiences in this industry, every single story is its own, vast, unique, and impossible to replicate. There is something I wanted to get right with this campaign from the very beginning, and that is showing the full range of what a career in maritime can look like for women. Because the answer is almost anything; terminal operations. executive leadership, communications, public affairs, harbor pilots, third mates, etc. The breadth of this industry is one of its greatest strengths, and the women who have carved out their place across all of it are proof that there is no single mold or single path. 

There is a feeling that comes with walking into a room in this industry and realizing you might be the only woman there. It is subtle, but it is there. And there is an equally distinct feeling that comes with glancing across that same room and spotting another woman, a recognition and an unspoken sense of belonging. I do not think we should be embarrassed by that feeling, rather, I think we should lean into it and use it as fuel. 

Because here is what I know to be true: we belong here. We have always belonged here. And the work of making sure the next generation of women feels that from the moment they walk in the door is work that falls on us. Not because our gender defines our value (it does not), but because representation is powerful, visibility matters, and every woman who takes up space in this industry makes it a little easier for the next one to do the same. 

That is what hit me hardest when I asked the women in this campaign about their proudest moments in maritime. The stories that came back were rich and real and full of the kind of hard-won pride that you cannot manufacture. These are women who have built something, who have earned something, and who carry that with them every day in ways that often go unrecognized. Hearing them name it out loud was one of my favorite parts of this entire project. 

And when I asked them what they see ahead, what opportunities they believe exist for the next generation of women in this industry, I was not prepared for how much their answers would move me. There was no cynicism or gloom, just clear-eyed, big-hearted optimism about an industry that is changing, growing, and opening up in ways that are genuinely exciting. 

I had the honor of spotlighting two women in particular who embody that completely. Kristi McKenney, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland, is the kind of leader who makes you sit up straighter just listening to her talk about her work. She leads one of the most important port agencies on the West Coast with vision, steadiness, and a quiet authority that is impossible to miss. And Fran Ohlheiser, Director of Communications for Yusen Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles, brings that same energy to the terminal floor, handling the fast-moving, never-stop world of day-to-day port operations with expertise and grace. Two women, two very different roles, and one industry that is better for having both of them in it. 

Their spirit reminded me of why I love this work and why this campaign exists. And we are only scratching the surface. The women featured here are a handful among many who are quietly and not-so-quietly transforming maritime from the inside out. Their stories deserve to be told, celebrated, and passed down. And I am truly and deeply proud to play even a small role in making sure they are. 

So the next time you walk into a room and realize you are the only woman there, stand tall. And the next time you glance across that room and catch another woman's eye, let that be the reminder you need. We are building something here, together, one room at a time. The future of maritime is bright and it is bold; and it is absolutely, undeniably better with more women in it. 

I encourage you to watch, listen, and let these women inspire you the way they inspired me: https://www.pmsaship.com/amazing-women-in-maritime.