Long Beach Harbor Commissioner Lou Anne Bynum has resigned from the Board of Harbor Commissioners as she was named Saturday as interim superintendent-president of the Long Beach Community College District. The resignation went into effect Monday, March 16.
“It has been a genuine honor for me to serve on this Board,” Bynum said. “I’m looking forward to this new challenge at an institution I love, but a piece of my heart will always be at the Port. These past six years on the Board have been some of the most interesting and satisfying in my career.”
The Long Beach Harbor Commission is an appointed five-member panel that oversees the Port of Long Beach and the Long Beach Harbor Department.
Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal noted the past half-decade at the Port of Long Beach has been among the most active in recent years.
“Commissioner Bynum has provided a steady hand as we’ve managed billions of dollars of capital improvements, trade issues with China, the construction of a new Civic Center complex and so much more,” Lowenthal said.
Bynum contributed to the Port’s expanded focus on workforce development programs, especially in coordination with Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College. Programs aimed at encouraging high school and college students to consider jobs in the goods movement industry were highlighted and expanded under her leadership
“Lou Anne Bynum has served this Port selflessly and with distinction, always working diligently to provide steady, perceptive leadership,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “I congratulate her and the Long Beach Community College District on this decision.”
Bynum’s successor on the Commission will be nominated by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and confirmed by the Long Beach City Council. At this time, no schedule has been announced for this process.
“As a former colleague of Lou Anne’s at LBCC, I can attest to her remarkable leadership skills and the important work she can do now at this wonderful institution,” Garcia said. “While we are losing her experience and knowledge as a valued member of the Harbor Commission, we are thrilled that she will take the reins at the College.”
Bynum, a former executive vice president of college advancement and economic development at the Long Beach Community College District before retiring in 2017, returns to an institution where she has deep roots.
“I’m thrilled to be back at LBCC,” Bynum said. “I feel as though this is my educational home and the only college at which to work. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement.”
The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. With 175 shipping lines connecting Long Beach to 217 seaports, the Port handles $200 billion in trade annually, supporting more than 575,000 Southern California jobs.
