Board of Directors

Kevin Guidry

Kevin Guidry is president of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of Lake Charles (the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District).

He has been a leader on the playing field, in business and civic affairs, in government, and on local television.

He has been president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, a civic volunteer and the longtime co-host of “Sports Sound Off.”

Guidry attended LSU, majoring in journalism. He played NFL football with the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Phoenix Cardinals.

Guidry moved into public office in 2004 when he was elected to the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, serving as vice president in 2008 and president in 2010.

He has served on the Calcasieu Parish Drug Advisory Board, Southwest Louisiana Marine Institute (past chairman), United Way Hall of Fame Board, Louisiana State Board of Child Abuse Prevention, LSU Charlie McClendon Scholarship Foundation board, Salvation Army board, SWLA Boy Scouts and the Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Medical Group.

During his 18 years on the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, Kevin served on the Public Works Committee, Ways & Means Committee, Budget Committee, General Insurance Committee (Chair) and the Special Service Districts Review Committee.

His honors include American Red Cross Board Member of the Year (2002), Martin Luther King Community Service Award (2003), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Community Service Award (2003 and 2005) and the Black History Hall of Fame’s Trailblazer Award (2007).

He is senior deacon of Faith Vision Ministries Church, where he is actively involved in sports ministry, marriage ministry and Christian-based football and basketball camps throughout Louisiana.

Kay C. Barnett, CFRE

Kay C. Barnett, CFRE, is a native of Lake Charles and a graduate of Louisiana State University, where she received a B.S.Ed. with a major in French and a minor in Journalism. She is a certified fundraising executive and has received fundraising certifications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, demonstrating proficiency, mastery and knowledge in the field against international standards in philanthropy.

Ms. Barnett retired in 2021, having served 17 years as the executive director of development for the CHRISTUS Ochsner Southwestern Louisiana Foundation. She has also served as business development consultant for CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, co-founder of the Cancer Support Center at Lake Charles Memorial Health System and vice president of marketing for Premier Bank, Bank One and First Commerce Corporation. Other positions she has held are executive director of the Arts & Humanities Council and assistant endowment coordinator for the McNeese State University Foundation.

Ms. Barnett has had the honor of serving as the first woman on the Board of Commissioners for the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District from 2003-2011. She currently serves as chair of Port Rail, Inc., a corporation of the District to develop a short-line railroad for the Port.

She currently serves as treasurer of the Chenier Plain Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority, a gubernatorial appointment, and has served on numerous boards throughout her life. Near and dear to her heart, Ms. Barnett served as co-coordinator for the original building of Millennium Park and chair of the rebuilding effort after it was destroyed by fire.

Ms. Barnett’s goal in life is to be part of helping make a difference and improving the quality of life in Southwest Louisiana.

Ben Bourgeois

Mr. Ben Bourgeois is a native of Sulphur and a graduate of McNeese State University. He currently serves as a Project Manager for Turner Industries’ Maintenance and Turnaround Division in Lake Charles. Before joining Turner Industries, Mr. Bourgeois was the Assistant General Manager for Waste Management’s Lake Charles and Central Louisiana Hauling Operations. Mr. Bourgeois donates his time to some civic and service organizations, including the Chamber/Southwest Louisiana—where he formally served as chairman of the board of directors, McNeese State University Football Club, and the United Way of Southwest Louisiana, and his church – Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Sulphur . He and his wife, Christene, are the parents of two children, Krystal (Brad) and Benjamin (Sami), and the proud grandparents of grandson’s Tripp and Beau. Mr. Bourgeois currently serves as the Treasurer for Port Rail, Inc.

Richert Self

Richert Self, small

A native of Lake Charles, Richert Self holds a bachelor’s degree of science in business from McNeese State University, a master’s degree of business administration from the University of New Orleans, and he is a Certified Public Accountant. In 2017, Self was appointed as Deputy Executive Director of the Port of Lake Charles, and he serves as deputy to Executive Director Bill Rase. Self has been part of the Port of Lake Charles administration since 2003 when he joined as Director of Finance and Administration. A native of Lake Charles, Self holds a bachelor’s degree in business from McNeese State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans, and he is a certified public accountant. Self is actively involved with the American Association of Port Authorities, from which he holds a certification of professional port manager. He also works closely with the Gulf Ports Association of the Americas and currently serves as vice president of the Gulf Seaports Marine Terminal Conference. In 2008, Self was a graduate of Leadership Louisiana, and in 2016, he was appointed to the Louisiana Board of International Commerce by Gov. John Bel Edwards. In May 2020, Self was appointed as Executive Director of the Port of Lake Charles after Bill retired.

Randy Oakley

Randy Oakley

Randy received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from McNeese State University in 1982. He spent 17 years of his career working in the Pulp and Paper Industry, 7 years with Levingston Engineers and the remainder as Plant Manager for Southern Ionics and Sempra/Cameron LNG. He retired from Cameron LNG in 2015 and has been doing property management and consulting work for the LNG industry. Randy was involved in the development/operational implementation of the Cameron LNG Regas Terminal and development of the Cameron LNG Liquefaction expansion.

Executive Director

Derek W. Midkiff

Derek Midkiff is a native of Westlake and a lifelong resident of Southwest Louisiana. Mr. Midkiff is a graduate of McNeese State University with a BS in Health and Human Performance. After college, Mr. Midkiff was a high school teacher and football coach. Before joining Port Rail, Mr. Midkiff was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad Company, holding operations positions in Lake Charles and Beaumont, Texas. At the time of his departure from Union Pacific, he was serving as Senior Trainmaster for the Southwest Louisiana and Lafayette territory. He and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of three children, Karleigh, Elijah, and Alexa. Mr. Midkiff is the Executive Director of Port Rail, Inc.