06/17/2026
🎭 MEET THE The 2026 Juneteenth Parade Grand Marshal:
Mr. Rodney D. Priestley Born on Galveston Island on November 30, 1979, Rodney D. Priestley’s roots run deep in the very city where history was made. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived by ship in Galveston, Texas, delivering General Order No. 3 and announcing freedom for enslaved people in Texas.
Generations later, Rodney’s own journey would begin on that same historic waterfront.
Rodney began his career on the waterfront in 2000, following the footsteps of his family and the generations of men and women who built the Port of Galveston. In 2002, he was elected Business Agent of ILA Local 1504-8. During his 14 years serving as Business Agent, Rodney dedicated himself to learning the contracts, protecting workers’ rights, filing grievances, fighting for fair wages, and understanding every aspect of the waterfront.
In December 2015, Rodney was elected President of ILA Local 1504-8, a position he continues to proudly hold today. As President, he has worked to strengthen the local, improve wages and working conditions, protect union jobs, and continue building a foundation for the next generation of longshore workers.
In 2018, at the International Longshoremen’s Association South Atlantic & Gulf Coast District Convention held at the historic Fontainebleau in Miami, Florida, Rodney was nominated and elected unopposed as District Vice President. Since Local 1504-8 was chartered in 1933, Rodney became the first member from his local to ever hold a District position, a milestone not only for himself, but for the entire Galveston waterfront.
Beyond the docks, Rodney believes leadership means giving back. Through community involvement, youth sponsorships, holiday drives, and helping families in need, he continues working to uplift the same community that raised him.
But above every title and accomplishment, Rodney considers his greatest blessing and achievement to be marrying his wife, Kiawana Priestley, and raising their four beautiful daughters. They remain his motivation, his foundation, and the reason he continues to fight for a better future.
