Paul L. Toth Jr. - President and CEO
Paul L. Toth Jr. is the President and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and is responsible for a staff of 50 and for all Port Authority operations. Most recently, Paul served as Vice President of Technical and Financing Services and Interim Airports Director for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. His responsibilities in these roles included overseeing all activities of the airports and planning, engineering, development, and construction activities associated with the Port Authority’s multi-modal facilities. His responsibilities also include the Port Authority’s Innovative Financing Programs which include the Northwest Ohio Bond Fund as well as regional loan programs for the State of Ohio and Small Business Administration.
Paul earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio. He is also a Graduate of the University of Toledo’s Graduate School of Business earning a Masters in Business Administration, specializing in finance.
Paul has been employed with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority for more than 20 years, serving in several capacities during his career. He served as Director of New Project Development and Technical Services and also served as Director of Airports for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority prior to being appointed President and CEO in 2009.
Paul has served on several Executive Committees with the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves as a Board Member of the Zepf Center, a not-for-profit social service organization, the University Of Toledo Alumni Association Board Of Trustees and is a member of the College of Technology & Office of Cooperative Education Advisory Board at the Bowling Green State University.
Matthew A. Sapara - VP of Operations and Development; Chief Operating Officer
Matthew A. Sapara serves as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. His responsibilities include the administration and development of the Port Authority’s real estate portfolio and overall Port Authority operations. This portfolio includes two airports, an international deep-water port and over 2000 acres of land. He also is responsible for acting as a liaison between the Port Authority and other public agencies with the goal of providing a more uniformed approach to economic development.
Matt earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the University of Toledo in 1995. In 1998, he earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Toledo College of Law and is admitted to the practice law in the State of Ohio.
Matt joined the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority in 2002 as Property Development Manager and also served as the Director of Real Estate Development. Prior to the Port Authority, Matt represented several real estate developers, building companies and real estate sales offices in the Toledo area.
Matt currently serves on several boards including the River East Revitalization Corporation, the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, and the St. Jerome’s Endowment Fund.
Thomas J. Winston - VP, Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Thomas J. Winston serves as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance and Administration for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. His responsibilities include leading the Port Authority’s Accounting department, Legal and Human Resources departments, and Finance department – its financial planning and accounting practices, as well as the Port’s relationship with lending institutions, stakeholder and the financial community to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies. Thomas works directly with the President and CEO on strategic initiatives to spur economic growth for the 28 counties within the jurisdiction of the Port Authority.
Prior to joining the Port Authority, Thomas has held positions of increasing leadership responsibilities in various financial capacities with industry leading corporations including; Owens Corning (Toledo), Pfizer Inc. (NJ/NYC) and Nuveen Investments (Chicago).
A native of Chicago, Thomas earned his Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics and Philosophy) from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1992, and Master of Business Administration (Finance, Marketing) from Loyola University Chicago in 1998. Thomas has held the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) designation since 2002.
Thomas is a member of the international recognized Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) and serves on the Board of Directors (Finance, Chair) of the Imagination Station.
Joseph W. Cappel - Director of Cargo Development
Joseph W. Cappel, PPM® is the Director of Cargo Development for the Toledo - Lucas County Port Authority. He is responsible for working with the Port of Toledo’s air and seaport terminals to increase and diversify cargo development domestically and internationally. This includes leveraging the Ports expansion and modernization efforts, providing educational outreach, and facilitating communications between key terminal management and the business community.
Joe joined the Port Authority in September 2004. Prior to that, he was the Logistics Manager at Ryder for steel handling terminals in Dundee, Michigan, and Hermitage, Pennsylvania. In 2002, Mr. Cappel received the Ryder Regional Presidents Award for Outstanding Safety Leadership. Mr. Cappel also was a distribution supervisor for the Kroger Company at their facilities in Columbus, Ohio.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Cappel is a graduate of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio where he earned a bachelor of science in business administration majoring in transportation & logistics and marketing. In 1999 Joseph successfully completed a thru-hike of the 2200 mile Appalachian Trail.
Joe is a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the Toledo Trucking Association and the Ohio Department of Transportation GO OHIO Steering Committee. He serves on the Toledo Metropolitan Council of Governments Freight Council, The Editorial Advisory Board of the Great Lakes/Seaway Review and several committees. Joseph is the 63rd candidate to receive the Professional Port Manager (PPM) certification through the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). He represents the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority on the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLP), AAPA Great Lakes Caucus, Chamber of Maritime Commerce and the Green Marine, HWY H2O, Marine Highways, Toledo Harbor Dredging Task Force, and Great Ships Initiative campaigns.
Carla Firestone Nowak - Director of Communications
Carla Firestone Nowak was appointed to the position of Director of Communications for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority in March 2008. Her responsibilities include overseeing all marketing, media relations and communications activities for the Port Authority and all of its entities.
Carla is a graduate of The University of Toledo where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
Carla has spent her entire professional career in Toledo and has had the privilege of working for some of the city’s most successful organizations such as the city of Toledo, SSOE, Owens Corning and ProMedica. Beginning as an executive aide with the city of Toledo Mayor’s Office, to her current position today, her communications and marketing focus has always been on successfully refining processes and creating greater synergies to produce efficient communications vehicles. Throughout the years the teams Carla has worked with and the products she has produced have earned numerous awards and recognitions.
Carla serves the community through outreach and charity service through a variety of organizations and currently serves on the Development Committee for Toledo School for the Arts. Carla is a 2008 recipient of the 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award and a 2011 graduate of Leadership Toledo.