Harbor Commissioner Bonnie Lowenthal on Monday was elected President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, the five-person board that oversees the Port of Long Beach.

The board also selected Frank Colonna as Vice President and Steven Neal as Secretary. Each July, Commissioners select a President and two board officers to serve one-year terms. The Commission’s new officers will begin their terms on Aug. 5, when outgoing Commission President Bobby Olvera Jr. will hand the gavel to Lowenthal at the Board’s meeting that day.

Lowenthal was previously President from 2019-20 and is currently serving as Vice President. She has served Long Beach in a public role for decades, first as a Long Beach Unified School District Board member, then as a City Councilwoman and Vice Mayor and as a state Assembly member. Prior to her elected service, she worked as a licensed family counselor and mental health consultant.

“It is an honor to be elected and serve as President of the Long Beach Harbor Commission,” Lowenthal said. “I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners as we build a port to better serve the residents of Southern California in the decades to come and continue to pursue our trailblazing environmental programs, innovative capital improvements and our ongoing investment in workforce development.”

Under the City Charter, the Board sets policy for the Port and directs the Port’s Chief Executive Officer, who leads about 550 employees in developing and promoting the Port of Long Beach. Members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. They may serve up to two six-year terms.

The Port of Long Beach is a global leader in green port initiatives and top-notch customer service, moving cargo with reliability, speed and efficiency. As the premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade, the Port handles trade valued at $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the United States, including 575,000 in Southern California. In 2024, industry leaders named it “The Best West Coast Seaport in North America” for the sixth consecutive year. During the next 10 years, the Port is planning $2.3 billion in capital improvements aimed at enhancing capacity, competitiveness and sustainability.