DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently appointed Ida Rukavina to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners.
Rukavina succeeds Commissioner Tony Sertich, who served a pair of six-year terms on the board, beginning with his appointment by then-Governor Mark Dayton in 2013. Rukavina’s six-year term is set to expire in January 2031.
Born and raised on Minnesota’s Iron Range, Rukavina is commissioner of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation, a Minnesota economic development agency located in Eveleth. Prior to her current role, she was executive director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) and worked extensively with various levels of government and labor organizations. Before that, she served as United States Senator Amy Klobuchar’s northern Minnesota outreach director.
Rukavina earned a bachelor’s degree in government-American politics from Clark University and a master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her late father, Tom Rukavina, served as a Minnesota state representative for 26 years.
The Duluth Seaway Port Authority is an independent public agency created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1955 to foster regional maritime and economic development and advocate for port interests. A seven-member board of commissioners governs the Port Authority – two appointed by the governor of Minnesota, two by the St. Louis County board and three by the Duluth City Council.
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More than 700 vessels and 30 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth-Superior each year, making it the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20. The Port supports more than 7,000 jobs and contributes $1.3 billion in business revenue to the regional economy. Learn more at DuluthPort.com.