NEW YORK - Stephen K. Knott, President of the Atlantic Coast District, International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO, will receive the 2009 Maritime Good Scout Award by the Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America at a luncheon next Wednesday, April 22, 2009 in Lower Manhattan. Joseph Curto, President of Maher Terminals will also receive the Good Scout Award and James Molinaro, President of the Borough of Staten Island, New York, will receive the Boy Scout's James E. West Award at the same luncheon.

The ILA and its employers have been supporting this Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America, for more than two decades helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars to support inner-city scouting throughout the Greater Metropolitan area. Carol N. Lambos, an attorney and partner with The Lambos Firm and James J. Devine, President and Chief Executive Officers with New York Container Terminal are serving as luncheon co-chairs for the event to be held at The Ritz-Carton, 2 West Street in Lower Manhattan from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Stephen Knott was unanimously elected president of the ILA's Atlantic Coast District in July 2007 and has also served for more than 10 years as President of ILA Local 1, Clerks and Checkers, in the Port of New York and New Jersey. He is also Vice president of the New York-New Jersey ILA District Council.

Knott first joined the ILA in 1966 as a member of ILA Local 1478 in New Jersey. A year later, he transferred to ILA Local 1 and worked at a variety of clerical and checking positions at several companies in Port Newark, including ITO and Maher Terminals. Knott was also elected International Vice President and Executive Board member of the ILA in 1997 and was reelected to that position for three additional four-year terms.

As leader of the ILA's Atlantic Coast District, Knott is responsible for all ports from Maine to Virginia as well as the Great Lakes region, Eastern Canada and Puerto Rico.

Knott has been previously honored by the Essex and Union County (New Jersey) chapters of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and was Man of the Year for the United Negro College Fund.

A native of New Jersey, Knott and his wife, Joanne, reside in the Garden State and are the parents of two daughters, Gina and Connie, and have four grandchildren.