By Karen Robes Meeks
Heather Tomley is the new Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Long Beach Harbor Department. The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners recently voted to promote Tomley, who had been serving as acting managing director for the last 12 months while the port carried out a national search for the job.
Tomley was hired at the port in 2005 as an Environmental Planning Associate before being elevated to Environmental Specialist, then Senior Environmental Specialist in 2006, Assistant Director of Environmental Planning in 2008 and Director of Environmental Planning in 2014. Before joining the port Tomley worked for SCS Engineers as a Project Scientist and as an Air Quality Specialist for the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District.
In her new role, Tomley will be tasked with overseeing the port’s Environmental Planning, Transportation Planning and Master Planning divisions. The job is a high profile one at the port, which is ramping up its efforts toward zero emissions operations.
“Heather has deep experience creating and managing cutting-edge projects that have dramatically improved air quality and earned crucial industry cooperation, such as the Clean Trucks Program and the Technology Advancement Program,” said Port Executive Director Mario Cordero. “The Port will benefit from her skill set and industry relationships while it engages in long-term planning efforts like the Port Master Plan and San Pedro Bay Rail Study Update, and as it proceeds in earnest on its most ambitious and far-reaching goal ever – to achieve zero emissions cargo operations.”