President Donald J. Trump has designated Louis E. “Lou” Sola to serve as the Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). 

The designation was made on January 20, 2025.

Chairman Sola has served as a Commissioner of the FMC since January 2019, and he succeeds Daniel B. Maffei as Chairman. The Chairman is the chief executive and administrative officer of the Commission.

“I am humbled by President Trump designating me Chairman and I am grateful for his confidence in my ability to lead the Federal Maritime Commission.  There are many ways the Commission contributes to the competitiveness of American businesses, access to foreign markets for U.S. vessels and companies, and economic growth for the Nation. We will continue that important work while looking for more instances where applying the authorities of the Commission helps U.S. companies and consumers,” said Chairman Sola.

Chairman Sola had a distinguished career as a soldier, entrepreneur, and public servant before he joined the Commission.  He served in the U.S. Army for 12 years, specializing in counterintelligence.  Following his military career, he worked in consulting before launching a company specializing in yacht and mega-yacht sales.  Prior to joining the Federal Maritime Commission, Chairman Sola served as a Commissioner on the Florida Board of Pilot Commissioners.

“I appreciate all the good work my colleague Daniel Maffei accomplished during his tenure as Chairman.  He demonstrated strong leadership when the Commission was called on to respond to supply chain congestion issues.  I enjoyed having the opportunity to work with him and appreciate that he gave individual Commissioners the freedom to work on issues where their strengths and experiences were most applicable,” said Chairman Sola.

Chairman Sola was first nominated to serve on the Federal Maritime Commission by President Trump on November 15, 2018, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 2, 2019.