Dr. Noel Hacegaba serves as Acting Deputy Executive Director for the Port of Long Beach, selected by unanimous vote of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on June 17, 2013. Dr. Hacegaba assists Acting Executive Director Al Moro, unanimously ratified by the Board on the same day, to provide continuity and carry on with Port projects and initiatives while the Harbor Commission, the five-member governing body for the Port, seeks permanent candidates for the posts.

As Acting Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Hacegaba functions as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the daily business activities of the Port's four main bureaus: Engineering, Environmental Affairs and Planning, Finance and Support Services, and Trade Development and Port Operations.   

Before this interim appointment, Dr. Hacegaba was Executive Officer to the Board of Harbor Commissioners, named to the post by the Commission in July 2010.

His 15 years of public and private sector experience, spanning a variety of industries and capacities, also includes serving as Manager of Municipal Services for Republic Services, the nation's second-largest environmental services company, and Assistant Chief of Staff for the Long Beach City Prosecutor's Office.

Dr. Hacegaba is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with degrees in economics (BA and MA), business administration (BS) and urban planning (MPL). He is also a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and holds a doctorate in public administration from the University of La Verne, where he continues to serve on the faculty.

Holding leadership roles in a number of professional and community organizations, he is also a writer and musician. He and his wife and two daughters are Long Beach residents.