LB Commission Appoints New Environmental Planning Director

LONG BEACH — On Feb. 13, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners announced the appointment of  Heather A. Tomley as the director of environmental planning. She will be charged with leading Green Port environmental initiatives.

Tomley has been serving as the Long Beach Harbor Department’s acting director of environmental planning since July 2013. She will report to Managing Director of Environmental Affairs and Planning Rick Cameron. Tomley, originally joined the Harbor Department as an environmental planning associate in 2005, was promoted to environmental specialist and then senior environmental specialist in 2006 and assistant director in 2008. She is on leave and is scheduled to return March 17 to her new role.

As director of environmental planning, she will lead the division most directly responsible for the port’s signature environmental programs: the Green Port Policy and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan. The division coordinates programs to improve air, water and soil quality, preserve wildlife habitat and integrate sustainability into port practices.

Tomley earned her bachelor of science in chemistry and a minor in psychology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and her master of science in environmental science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.