In her position — in what is traditionally a male-dominated business — it would be natural to think of her as a feminist, but Victoria is quick to point out that there is nothing political about her success. “Today’s waterfront doesn’t care if you’re a man or woman, as long as you can get the job done,” she says. It is only through her hard work and professionalism that she has been successful. For a long period after her appointment as JAXPORT director, she refused interviews with the press, concerned that reporters might try to turn her into a spokeswoman for women’s rights. That is not what she is about. She’s just happy doing her job and doing it very well.

Victoria’s mother, Ann, still lives in Fernandina Beach, where she raised Victoria and her two sisters as a single mother after the death of her husband, a marine surveyor, when Victoria was just 13. Victoria graduated from Fernandina Beach High School and moved on to the University of Florida, later graduating from Florida International University with a degree in hotel management. But a junior year abroad at the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands changed her life. She studied economics there and learned to question and evaluate, skills she has used throughout her life.

After college, there was a brief sojourn in the hotel business, until a friend of her father’s recommended her for a job as secretary for a small shipping company in Savannah. That’s where she learned all facets of the shipping business, rising through the ranks to boarding agent. “The boarding agent has one of the hardest jobs on the waterfront,” explains Victoria. “You are responsible for everything that goes on with the ship while it is in port.” When Nassau Terminals was starting up here in Fernandina, she happily returned home to be part of the original team. At that point, however, with competition so fierce in the port business, she realized that she needed an MBA. “I enrolled in the executive MBA program at Jacksonville University and became a hermit for two years while I completed the course.”

The education paid off. When JAXPORT approached her about working at their downtown Talleyrand marine terminal in 1995, she was ready for the challenge. After rigorous interviews, she was selected for the job. Four years ago, JAXPORT again challenged her with operational responsibilities of both Blount Island and Dames Point marine terminals. She was also recently asked to oversee the operations of the St. Johns River Ferry and JAXPORT’s Cruise Terminal. “I work with an incredible team of JAXPORT employees and tenants. Our job is to make sure everyone can work their cargo,” she explains.

Victoria is a true Steel Magnolia. Gracious and beautiful she may be, yet she is always determined and fully equipped to get the job done.