In 1989, some of the City’s most influential and visionary stakeholders founded Leadership Long Beach. These founders envisioned the formation of a civic improvement program that would serve the community by educating and motivating leaders on issues important to the future and sustainability of Long Beach.
The alumni produced by the Leadership Long Beach program have shared experiences, a common network and a set of leadership principles that enable them to set imaginative, yet realistic goals, and meet them through coordinated and effective strategies.
Leadership Long Beach has four principled leadership programs
In 2014, Leadership Long Beach celebrated its 25th anniversary showcasing to the community the value and importance of its principled leadership programs and recognizing the contributions made by alumni. The organization increased its public visibility through participation in parades and festivals, demonstrated community service, and shared our history and the story of our alumni through multiple media outlets and platforms.
In April 2018, Leadership Long Beach accepted the prestigious Key to the City from Mayor Robert Garcia (LLBI ’03) and became the first nonprofit organization to receive the honor. Through 2018 and 2019, Leadership Long Beach celebrated its 30th Anniversary highlighting the inaugural class (1990), revived the popular ‘Putt Putt’ event in Bixby Knolls, and continued our principled leadership programs with full capacity cohorts with the Institute, Youth and Executive programs. With over 1,800 alumni, Leadership Long Beach continues to have its alumni serve the community through visible leadership positions in all sectors and at every level.
Each class forms project teams as part of the Leadership Long Beach experience. Class projects are an especially exciting aspect of Leadership Long Beach because it provides an opportunity for class participants to learn about group process. In the process, past classes have developed many beneficial community projects, some of which continue today.
The following Leadership Long Beach class projects are examples of success:
Midnight Basketball League (Class of 1994), an alternative sports program for young adult males, now under the auspices of the City of Long Beach’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Marine
Bricks by the Sea (Class of 1997) was a commemorative walkway built at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. The project team raised over $150,000 for youth educational programs at the Aquarium.
New Beginnings (Class of 1999), a seminar on life skills for women in recovery at the Flossie Lewis Recovery Center.
The “Enough is Enough” Community Dialogue on Youth & Gang Violence and its prevention in Long Beach (Class of 2005).
Healthy Kids Summit (Class of 2009):Team Awesome produced a Healthy Kids Summit to discuss the epidemic of childhood onset diabetes and obesity in our city.
Idea Fest (Class of 2014): Orizaba Park become a thriving “campus” for residents and businesses to exchange ideas, enjoy live music, sample foods from local restaurants and food trucks, and celebrate our city’s diversity. LLB created the opportunity for people to learn how they could activate their city in a new way with IdeaFest:LAB. Each IdeaFest:LAB is facilitated by local thinkers, creators, and community builders to allow discussions by all attendees on a specific subject.