The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners last week selected U.S. Marine Col. Richard Jordan as the new Chief of Staff, to assist the Commission in making key decisions in governing the Port of Long Beach. Jordan most recently served as Director of Enlisted Professional Military Education at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Va., overseeing approximately 280 Marines and civilians at six educational academies around the globe. Previously, he was the Strategy and Policy Division Chief for the Middle East for the United States Central Command, from June 2011 to June 2014. In that role, he interacted on a daily basis with civilian leadership from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He was promoted to colonel in 2011, and has been responsible for as many as 400 Marines. He deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, 2005 and 2008. From 1993-1999 he served with a Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron. He joined the Marines in 1990, starting at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, where he studied to become a naval aviator and helicopter pilot. “Col. Jordan was selected after a careful and thorough search to find the ideal candidate,” said Lori Ann Guzmán, President of the Board of Harbor Commissioners. “He has the leadership, motivation, and the tenacity needed to work with the Commission, the Harbor Department’s executive team, the Port’s customers and tenants, and the community.” The Chief of Staff coordinates all administrative and communications functions for the Board, serves as a personal adviser on general issues, makes recommendations on public policy issues and coordinates trade missions and conferences, among other duties.