Noel K. Cunningham '73, Political Science
Retired Director of Operations and Emergency Management,
Port of Los Angeles

Much of what we buy — from the hottest new electronics to sleek late model sports cars to that darling black dress purchased for a weekend soiree — are brought to our shores via two local gateways that supply the entire nation with products from Asia and points east.

“The Port of Los Angeles is the largest in the nation, and the Port of Long Beach is the second,” says Noel K. Cunningham. “Together, they are No. 3 in the world behind Singapore and Hong Kong.”

These two ports handled 43 percent of the nation's container cargo in 2005. “A tonequivalent unit (TEU) container is the unit of measurement for the trade. They are what you see on big trucks on the freeway,” says Cunningham, who retired from his post as director of operations and emergency management for the Port of Los Angeles earlier this year. “Everything from shoes to automobiles is imported, and America's consumer prices are the lowest in the world because of the volume we import.”

The all-encompassing contribution these busy harbors make to just about everyone's day-to-day existence heightened awareness of all ports after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Cunningham's own focus on security was also sharpened, and he has become one of the nation's foremost experts on port security. He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions (most recently as a result of the controversy over Dubai's involvement in U.S. port operations) and has visited most of the airports and seaports in the world as the former president of the International Association of Airport Seaport Police.

“The terrorists responsible for 9/11 know that when they shut down the airline industry for about three or four days, it's been very costly for the aviation industry, and the government has expended enormous resources on security,” says Cunningham, who graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 1973 with a bachelor's in political science following a stint in the Army. “If there's an attack on these ports, the disruption in the economy would be felt for years.”

However, he says, the ports are a lot safer now than they were prior to the terrorist attacks in 2001. “We began preparing the port of Los Angeles in 1993 when the first bombs went off in the basement of New York's World Trade Center,” he says. Today, due to Cunningham's leadership, the port now has an extensive, multi-agency security program in place. But, he says, “We have a long way to go because there are so many different scenarios that we have to prepare for.”

Cunningham's career began with the Los Angeles Police Department, and he earned a master's in public communication at Pepperdine University. He rose through the ranks working on high-profile cases in the narcotics unit. He was appointed chief of the Los Angeles Port Police in 1991 and began his international travels working to develop strong security programs to counter container theft and organized crime.

Originally from Kansas City, Mo., Cunningham moved to California to go to college but decided to join the military instead. “I got married, started a family, moved to Diamond Bar and discovered Cal Poly Pomona. The classes were arranged for a working person's schedule, and the professors were genuine. I loved Cal Poly.” He and his wife, Gerda, have been married for 43 years and raised two children just blocks from the campus. Currently, he is the president of Marsec Group, a maritime security company where he shares his considerable industry experience. “My formal education helped me move through the ranks and do the interesting work that I've done.”