The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced that Michael Vanderbeek is the Authority’s new Deputy Port Director for Sales and Marketing.

Vanderbeek will be responsible for developing sales and marketing strategies and programs for the Port of Boston and Massport’s Maritime facilities.

In his new role, Vanderbeek will work with the Maritime Department’s staff, internal and external partners and customers, transportation and cruise shipping industries, and the New England business community to implement plans to create, strengthen, and maintain services and volumes and achieve planned business development objectives.

He will develop and implement marketing strategies to expand Massport’s cargo and cruise industry presence, to create new revenue opportunities, and to improve the competitive position of the Port of Boston. Lastly, he will be responsible for overseeing staffing and budget issues for the Maritime Sales and Marketing team.

“Michael is bringing an incredible amount of savvy to Massport and, ultimately, to Massachusetts,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “Michael is tasked with expanding our maritime shipping customer base and our cruise services here in Boston. This will certainly create good-paying, blue-collar jobs for the people of Massachusetts.”

Vanderbeek comes to Massport from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL where he had served as Director of Business Development. He’d held this position since July of 2012 and led a team of 13 professional staff members as the chief commercial officer for Port Everglades, the 12th busiest container port in the United States and the third busiest cruise port in the world. During his tenure, Vanderbeek helped Port Everglades grow its total container volume by five-percent, its loaded container volume by seven-percent, and its annual revenue by six-percent to just over $147 million.

“We are very fortunate to have Michael join our Maritime team,” said Deborah Hadden, Port Director for Massport. “We have a lot of goals and challenges ahead and we need someone with a successful track-record and professional background like Michael’s to help us navigate the waters and achieve our goals.”

Prior to his joining Port Everglades, Vanderbeek served as Manager of Business Development and Manager of Strategic Planning for the second busiest container port in North America by volume, the Port of Long Beach in Southern California.

Vanderbeek is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Port Cities Working Group. OECD provides a forum in which governments can understand what drives economic, social, and environmental change and also looks at issues that affect the lives of ordinary people and recommends policies designed to improve their quality of life. Vanderbeek also sits on the American Association of Port Authorities’ Maritime Economic Development and Cruise Committees.

He holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California, where he also served as adjunct faculty. He graduated summa cum laude from Boise State University with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Vanderbeek is fluent in Spanish and speaks beginner-level Mandarin Chinese. Vanderbeek lives with his wife in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.

Each year, more than one million tons of cargo passes through Massport’s terminals in the Port of Boston, which provide the shipping facilities New England needs to be a major international trader.  Cruiseport Boston is a favorite port-of-call with cruise passengers. A record 382,885 passengers used the facility in 2013.