Heather Tomley is Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Port of Long Beach, California, leading the Port’s Environmental Planning, Master Planning and Transportation Planning Divisions.

Ms. Tomley was named to the post in 2019 by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, governing body for the Long Beach Harbor Department and the Port, having served for a year as Acting Managing Director.

She joined the Port in 2005 as an Environmental Planning Associate, was promoted to Environmental Specialist, then Senior Environmental Specialist in 2006 and Assistant Director of the Environmental Planning Division in 2008 before being named Director in 2014.

The Planning Bureau’s portfolio includes efforts to implement Green Port Policy, protect habitat, improve air and water quality, manage stormwater, adapt to climate change, implement the Port’s energy initiatives, manage the Community Grants Program, find transportation efficiencies, seek and manage grants for transportation infrastructure and environmental projects, analyze traffic patterns and identify rail improvements, plan for future land uses, and facilitate strategic planning.

During her tenure with Environmental Planning, Ms. Tomley led the division most directly responsible for the Port’s signature environmental programs, the landmark Green Port Policy – now a bellwether for the industry – and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP). Under the 2005 Green Port Policy, the the division coordinates programs to improve air, water and soil quality, preserve wildlife habitat and integrate sustainability into Port practices.

She co-wrote the 2006 CAAP – a collaboration of the San Pedro Bay ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles – and its 2010 and 2017 updates. Under Ms. Tomley’s leadership, efforts will intensify in the coming years to carry out the bold objectives of the 2017 update, committing to putting the ports on the road to reach zero emissions for cargo-handling by 2030 and trucking by 2035.

Programs already addressed by Ms. Tomley and her team include developing and implementing the Technology Advancement Program, developing the Vessel Main Engine Fuel Incentive Program, and designing the Port’s Air Quality Monitoring Program. In addition, she assisted with development of the Clean Trucks Program, the annual Port-wide Emissions Inventory, and provided oversight and development for the Water Resources Action Plan for the San Pedro Bay ports.

Due to the effectiveness of these programs, total diesel emissions at the Port have dropped dramatically by 88 percent since 2005, and native wildlife is making a comeback.

Before coming to Long Beach, Ms. Tomley served as a Project Scientist with SCS Engineers (2004-2005) following five years (1999 to 2004) as an Air Quality Specialist for the San Luis Obispo County (Calif.) Air Pollution Control District, where she received two staff recognition awards for her work.

Ms. Tomley earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (1994) from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and her Master of Science (1999) in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.