On June 12, the Long Beach Harbor Commission decided to name
its own executive officer, Noel Hacegaba, to serve as the port’s interim deputy
executive director. This follows on the heels of the June 7 announcement that
Al Moro, the port’s chief harbor engineer, would become the interim executive
director.
Moro will be filling the shoes of outgoing Executive
Director Chris Lytle, who after less than two years in his current role, steps down
in mid-July to take over as the head of the Port of Oakland. Lytle had been
Long Beach’s executive director since November 2011, after being promoted from
deputy executive director. The deputy executive director job has been vacant
since Lytle’s promotion.
Hacegaba, the man who’ll be filling the deputy’s role on an
interim basis currently coordinates all administrative and communications
functions for the Board, makes recommendations on public policy issues, serves
as a liaison with elected officials and other public agencies and coordinates
trade missions and conferences.
“Noel has done an exemplary job as Executive Officer and we
are confident he will provide outstanding support to Al Moro during the next
several months,” Board President Susan Anderson Wise said.
“Noel will be working closely with Al and the rest of the
senior management team to guide the port through the projects and initiatives
that are underway. Like Al, Noel will not be a candidate for the Executive
Director position.”
Hacegaba has been the Board Executive Officer since 2010.
Before joining the port, he worked with environmental services company Republic
Services. Earlier, he served as Assistant Chief of Staff for the Long Beach
City Prosecutor’s Office.
The Harbor Board is scheduled to vote on the appointments of
both Moro and Hacegaba during its June 17 meeting.
Since the interim appointees won’t be candidates to fill the
positions permanently, Long Beach is still looking to fill five upper
management vacancies. In addition to the executive director’s and deputy
executive director’s jobs, the positions of Managing Director of Trade Development
and Port Operations and Director of Communications, are both currently vacant.
Long Beach also needs a new Managing Director of Environmental Affairs &
Planning because Robert Kanter is retiring after 23 years with the Port of Long
Beach.
