Mario Cordero to Retire as Long Beach Port CEO at Year’s End
Tenure Saw Sweeping Modernization and a Global Pandemic
Key Takeaways:
- Mario Cordero has served as Port of Long Beach CEO since May 2017.
- Cordero proposed the Green Port Policy while serving on the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.
- Cordero also practiced law for more than 30 years and taught political science at Long Beach City College.
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Mario Cordero, who steered the Port of Long Beach through cargo surges, sweeping modernization and the global pandemic, will retire as chief executive at the end of 2025.
Cordero has served as CEO since May 2017, guiding one of the busiest seaports in the nation through an era of record-breaking container volume and unprecedented global supply chain disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversees about 600 employees at the port, which, together with the Port of Los Angeles, forms the largest trade gateway in the United States.
Cordero’s tenure also marked a turning point in the port’s environmental agenda. Nearly two decades earlier, while serving on the , Cordero proposed the Green Port Policy, a framework ratified in 2005 that committed the port to embed environmental considerations into its decisions. That policy has since driven cleaner air, healthier harbors and a push toward zero-emission operations.
“It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime to lead the Port of Long Beach over these past several years,” Cordero said in announcing his plans. “While I’ll miss being in the center of the action for international trade, I know that I’m leaving the port in the very capable hands of our Board of Harbor Commissioners and the exemplary staff.”
CEO Mario Cordero will retire at the end of 2025, capping a varied career that included an 8½-year run as Port CEO, 7 years on the FMC in Washington, D.C. and 8 years as a member of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. Read more: — Port of Long Beach (@portoflongbeach)
City Mayor Rex Richardson said Cordero’s contributions will endure beyond his retirement. “Mario has always stepped up to serve, whether as chair of the Federal Maritime Commission, as a leader on the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners or as chief executive of our port,” Richardson said. “He has guided one of the world’s busiest seaports through unprecedented times with vision and steady leadership, always keeping people and community at the center.”
Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna called him a source of stability for the workforce and industry during uncertain times.
“His calm and reassuring manner was a great source of strength before, during and after the global pandemic,” Colonna said.
Before becoming port CEO, Cordero spent seven years at FMC in Washington after being appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2011, including four years as chair. In 2021, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco appointed him to the Los Angeles branch board of directors.
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Under his leadership, trade flowing through Long Beach has been tied to 2.7 million jobs nationwide, and the port has pressed ahead with major infrastructure projects and sustainability initiatives that aim to redefine modern cargo operations.
Cordero, the Los Angeles-born son of Mexican immigrants, was the first in his family to attend college. He earned a political science degree from California State University-Long Beach, followed by a law degree from Santa Clara University. He practiced law for more than 30 years and taught political science at Long Beach City College.
The Board of Harbor Commissioners will determine the process for selecting his successor in the months ahead.
Generative AI assisted in the creation of this article.
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