The American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL) announced that its 2012 Annual Conference will be held October 28-30 in Jacksonville, Fla. The city was selected by the ASTL Board of Directors because of its strong industry involvement and ASTL's alliance with the University of North Florida.

The theme of the two-day educational conference is "Transportation and Logistics: A Pathway to Economic Development". Paul Anderson, CEO of the Jacksonville Port Authority will be the featured guest speaker at this event.

Mr. Anderson, a former Federal Maritime Commissioner, was recently appointed by the chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) to lead a newly- created cooperative effort of the AAPA and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In this role, Mr. Anderson is bringing together the country's most prominent mayors with port leadership to urge investment in seaport infrastructure and make U.S. port competitiveness a national priority. He also serves as the legislative chair of the Florida Ports Council.

"We are thrilled Mr. Anderson will be joining us to discuss transportation and logistics issues from the perspective of a seaport CEO and former industry regulator," stated ASTL President Laurie Denham. "I am also very pleased with the development of the rest of our educational program that will be announced shortly."

The meeting will have many opportunities for networking and learning. Industry professionals who have obtained the Certified in Transportation and Logistics (CTL) designation will receive Professional Development Hours (PDH's) towards their CTL recertification.

Registration for the conference, golf tournament and associated sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.astl.org for more information.