12/29/17 – San Pedro, CA - AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles has named five new members to its Board of Trustees, including some of the region’s leading banking, construction and development executives and the head of the Los Angeles city tourism agency.
“I’m delighted to welcome this group of distinguished business and community leaders to the AltaSea board,” said Camilla Townsend, chair of the AltaSea board and executive director of the Max H. Gluck Foundation. “They share AltaSea’s vision for the future of the Port of Los Angeles and its neighboring communities. Just as importantly, they bring a range of vital skills and relationships that will be crucial in helping us achieve that vision. We’re fortunate to have them.”
The new board members are:
- Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen, Chief Executive Officer, Gafcon Inc.;
- Eric Johnson, Principal of the Victory Group of Companies;
- Monique Johnson, SVP and Director of Client and Treasury Management, Beneficial State Bank;
- Doane Liu, Executive Director, Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism Development;
- Alex Rose, SVP of Development, Continental Development Corp.
The new board members are joined by Founding Trustees Townsend and Martin H. Blank Jr., who is board Secretary/Treasurer and also co-trustee and COO of the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, as well as Dr. Roberta Marinelli, dean of Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, who joined the board in May 2016.
“As we transform 35 acres of the oldest part of the Port of Los Angeles into a center for ocean-focused research, STEM education and sustainable business incubation, these new board members will provide AltaSea with invaluable experience, knowledge and relationships,” said Jenny Krusoe, AltaSea’s executive director. “We are delighted and grateful they have agreed to join our board.”
The new board members join during a period of significant growth and achievement for AltaSea. This week, the non-profit organization launched construction on the La Kretz Blue Economy Incubator, which will be part of the future-forward ocean innovation campus that AltaSea is creating on City Dock No. 1. Construction kicked off Dec. 11th with an event at the campus’s Berth 58.
The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation also recently made a four-year commitment to partly fund classrooms for AltaSea’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs. Those STEM classes will be created and conducted in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Los Angeles Harbor and Dr. Robert Ballard’s Ocean Exploration Trust, as well as the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
Other AltaSea partners include Braid Theory, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Southern California Marine Institute, and the City and Port of Los Angeles.
About AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles:
AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles accelerates scientific collaboration, facilitates job creation and inspires the next generation for a more sustainable ocean. Built on an historic pier with access to the deep ocean, AltaSea’s 35-acre campus brings people together to expand science-based understanding of the ocean, incubate and sustain ocean-related business, and pioneer new ocean-related educations programs. For more information, please visit www.AltaSea.org.
