Lou Anne Bynum

Lou Anne Bynum, Executive Vice President of College Advancement and Economic Development for Long Beach City College, is a member of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, the five-member governing body for the Port of Long Beach, California. She was elected Vice President of the Board in July 2015 and re-elected to the position in July 2016. Ms. Bynum is the 66th commissioner to serve the Port since the commission was formed in 1925. She is the sixth woman to serve on the Board, and her appointment marked the Board's first female majority.

She was appointed by Mayor Bob Foster in May 2014 to complete the term of former Commissioner Thomas Fields ending in July 2015. She was reappointed -- this time to a full six-year term -- in August 2015 by Mayor Robert Garcia. Under the Long Beach City Charter, the Board of Harbor Commissioners is responsible for setting policy for the Port and managing the Harbor Department. Together with her Commission colleagues, Ms. Bynum provides policy direction and oversight for the most extensive capital improvement program in the Port of Long Beach's history. The Port has embarked on a $4 billion, 10-year investment program to modernize its facilities and increase its competitiveness for decades to come. The capital projects include the nationally significant Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement, Middle Harbor and other shipping terminal developments, roadway, dock and rail improvements, environmental improvements and more.

A major economic engine for the city and the region, the Port of Long Beach supports more than 300,000 southern California jobs, including 30,000 in Long Beach — one in every eight jobs. Ms. Bynum joined Long Beach City College in 1997, advancing to her current role in 2012. She has more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors linking education and training to business and industry needs with focus on developing a well-trained workforce and providing businesses and industry with opportunities to grow and create jobs — including various Port-related partnerships.

At LBCC, Ms. Bynum oversees college advancement, economic development and workforce training, community and corporate education and training, federal and state grants and contracts, community relations and marketing, welfare to work programs, and special resource development projects on behalf of the District.

Under her leadership, LBCC has brought in and administered more than $120 million in grants and contracts leading to a number of awards for the quality and success of the programs for individuals, business and industry including: the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce International Achievement Award, the California Community College System's award for Successful Industry Partnerships, Los Angeles County's Annual Productivity Award for Welfare to Work, the California Association of Occupational Educators award for Business and Industry Partnerships, and a series of Knight Foundation and Verizon Foundation awards for faculty development and student support services.

Ms. Bynum has served as chair of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, vice chair of the Long Beach Economic Development Commission, and president of the Southern California International Business Association. She was president of Leadership Long Beach and currently serves as a member of its Honorary Board of Governors. She also served on the boards of Gateway Cities Economic Development Partnership, the Public Corporation for the Arts, the Long Beach Women's Council, the Advisory Committee of the Long Beach Conservation Corps, Long Beach Community Action Partnership Board and the Board of Long Beach Inc.

She is currently a board member for the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, the Long Beach Downtown Business Associates, St. Mary Medical Center Hospital Advisory Board, Memorial Medical Center Community Trustees and Advisory Board for the Los Angeles County BizFed Institute. She also serves on the National Education Advisory Council for the Cyber Innovation Center located in Louisiana.

Ms. Bynum was selected in 2004 as Woman of the Year by then California State Assembly Member Alan Lowenthal of the 54th District. In 2005, she was Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's educational appointee to the Economic Strategy Panel for the State of California, which developed an overall statewide vision and strategy to guide public policy decisions for economic growth and competitiveness. She was awarded "Mujer Desarollo Económico" in 2010 by the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and received the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship "Impact Award for Administration" in 2012. She was awarded the 2013 "Excellence in Leadership Award" by the California Community College Association of Occupational Educators. Ms. Bynum earned a master's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor's degree from California State University, Long Beach.