YGL Lunchtime Leadership Panel: Long Beach

Promoting Public Service & Leadership in Government

The Los Angeles chapter of Young Government Leaders, in partnership with the Greater Los Angeles Federal Executive Board, invites City, County, State, and Federal public servants to our first YGL Lunchtime Leadership Panel. The intimate lunchtime panel is the first of a planned series throughout greater Los Angeles. Enjoy a Corner Bakery lunch box provided by our panel sponsor, Aetna. Listen and interact with local government rock stars, from various sectors of government, as they share government journeys and provide personal insight on public service, career development, and leadership in government.

Date:             Thursday, October 11, 2012

THE PANEL

Rick Cameron

Richard D. “Rick” Cameron is the Director of Environmental Planning for the Port of Long Beach, California. Formerly the Port’s Manager of Environmental Planning, he was selected by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in September 2007 to head the newly-created Division of Environmental Planning. As Director, he leads the Division most directly responsible for the Port’s signature environmental program, the Green Port Policy, and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan. Under the Green Port Policy, the Division coordinates programs to improve air, water and soil quality, preserve wildlife habitat and integrate sustainability into Port practices.

Mr. Cameron joined the Port of Long Beach in 1996 as an Environmental Specialist, working in the areas of water quality, air quality, and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation before moving up to Manager of Environmental Planning. From 2001-2005 Mr. Cameron left the Port and worked in the private sector where he managed various environmental programs for other public and private clients.

Mr. Cameron has a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is a resident of Redondo Beach, where he serves on that city’s Harbor Commission.

Dr. Robert Garcia

Dr. Robert Garcia, Vice Mayor of Long Beach, was elected to the Long Beach City Council on April 7, 2009, and re-elected to a full four-year term in April 2010 to serve the citizens of the First City Council District. In July 2012 he was unanimously elected by the Council to serve a two-year term as Vice Mayor of Long Beach, the first Latino and youngest person ever to hold that position. Robert is also the youngest elected City Councilmember and the first Latino Councilman in Long Beach history.

Robert is a College Administrator at Long Beach City College and has taught Communication Studies at both Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College. Robert’s passion for education led him to pursue a Doctorate in Higher Education, which he was awarded in 2010 after publishing his dissertation on California’s Mater Plan for Education. Robert also holds a Masters Degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach.

Ray Brewer

Ray Brewer, FEB Chair-Elect, is also currently the Field Office Director (FOD) for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Los Angeles Field Office. He has been serving as the FOD since June 2009. The HUD Los Angeles Field Office is the largest Field Office in the nation consisting of more than 235 employees. Mr. Brewer is a native of Maryland and moved to Southern California after completing his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Towson State University in Towson, Maryland. In 1978, he joined HUD as an Urban Intern in the Office of Audit. In his more than 31 years of service at HUD, he has held numerous managerial positions including, but not limited to, Chief Property Officer and Director of the Operations and Customer Division of HUD’s Santa Ana Homeownership Center. Additionally, he currently serves as the Acting Santa Ana Field Office Director. As Field Office Director, Mr. Brewer represents the agency and is responsible for coordinating outreach activities and program delivery to HUD customers and communities throughout the Southern California jurisdiction.

Sergio Espinoza

Mr. Sergio Espinoza is currently the Assistant Port Director, Tactical Operations at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport.  Mr. Espinoza supervises more than 500 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers and has oversight of multiple enforcement units.  He is responsible for a multi-million dollar inventory of technology used to process more than 4 million cargo containers and is also responsible for 1.4 million passengers processed annually and oversees the largest passenger cruise ship operation on the West Coast.  Mr. Espinoza has been in this position since September 11, 2011.

Prior to his appointment at the Seaport, Mr. Espinoza has a diverse history with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Espinoza served as the Acting Area Port Director at the Los Angeles International Airport in 2010/2011.  Mr. Espinoza has worked in Washington D.C. as a Country Team manager for South Africa, Korea and Canada; he’s held other key positions in the agency such as the Assistant Director of Field Operations for Border Security, in this position he was responsible for the development of national policies pertaining to the Container Security Initiative and overseeing our enforcement operations at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles International Airport.

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