COPRI LA - Port of Long Beach (POLB) Leadership Panel

Suzanne Plezia, PE (Managing Director, POLB) and Monique Lebrun, PE, BC PE, ENV SP (Chief Harbor Engineer, POLB) will be joining us as panelists to discuss their individual vision and goals in their respective roles, as well as some of the following topics:

• Leadership vision and strategic priorities for FY2026 and beyond
• Capital program delivery and organizational alignment
• Advancing sustainability, digital delivery, and innovation
• Opportunities for collaboration across industry and academia

The panel will be moderated by Clint Herrera, PE, MPA (Engineering Design Division Director, POLB), who will lead what we anticipate will be a dynamic discussion between our guest panelists and attendees.

Managing Director of Engineering for the Port of Long Beach, California. She was promoted to the post in June 2025, having served as Chief Harbor Engineer since April 2017.

The Engineering Services Bureau comprises six divisions – Program Management, Construction Management, Project Controls, Survey, Engineering Design, and Maintenance. Ms. Plezia leads a team of about 285 managers, engineers, inspectors, surveyors, technicians and support staff who are responsible for the development and maintenance of the Port’s infrastructure, which includes an extensive capital program to transition the Port’s operation to zero emissions and increase the efficiency and velocity of goods movement through the Port.

Ms. Plezia, the first woman to be Chief Harbor Engineer at the Port of Long Beach, began her career at the Port in 1996 as an intern, fresh out of college, and worked her way up to Deputy Chief Harbor Engineer before being named Acting Director, Director and now Senior Director. A licensed civil engineer, she also worked in the Design and Program Management divisions before settling in Construction Management. In 2012, she guided the procurement process for the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement contract, and she managed construction for the Pier G Container Terminal Replacement project.

A Long Beach native, Ms. Plezia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Irvine.

Monique is Senior Director of the Port of Long Beach Engineering Services Bureau, reporting to the Bureau’s Managing Director. She was promoted in September 2025 to the role, which also holds the title of Chief Harbor Engineer.

In her role, Lebrun is in charge of executing all of the Port’s capital projects, including oversight of the capital improvement program, which drives infrastructure development, modernization and sustainability initiatives. She also leads 300 employees across six divisions – Construction Management, Engineering Design, Maintenance, Program Management, Project Controls and Survey.

Lebrun joined the Port of Long Beach in 2008 as an Assistant Civil Engineer in the Engineering Design Division before moving to the Program Management Division. She advanced to Senior Program Manager, leading delivery of the Port’s state-of-the-art Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor, before being named Assistant Director, Director and now Senior Director/Chief Harbor Engineer.

Lebrun’s experience ranges from the design of bridge, port, and transportation structures to project and program management for all types of Port projects.

She began her career in 2003 as an entry-level bridge engineer at URS in Tampa, Florida, moved to California and an engineering position at Parsons in Pasadena in 2004, and was a bridge engineer and design manager with DMJM Harris/AECOM in Los Angeles from 2005 until joining the Port team in 2008.

Lebrun earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both civil engineering and architectural engineering from the University of Miami, and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been honored with such accolades as Engineering News-Record’s “Top 20” professionals (2018) and the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Los Angeles Branch award for Outstanding Civil Engineer/Public Sector (2019).

Clint is Director of the Engineering Design Division of the Engineering Bureau at the Port of Long Beach. He began his career at the Port in September 2019 as Assistant Director of the division and was promoted to Director in December 2023 by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, the Port’s five-member governing body.

The Engineering Design Division is critical to the development and maintenance of Port infrastructure such as channels, roads, wharves, utilities and other facilities, producing technical reports, studies, plans and specifications for Port construction projects.

Mr. Herrera supervises and manages the Port’s Engineering Design team of professional and technical personnel, who make up the civil, structural, traffic, rail, electrical, specifications, corrosion control, underwater inspection, GIS/mapping, drafting (CADD) and terminal design sections, managing multiple in-house design projects and projects utilizing outside consultants.

Before coming to the Port, Mr. Herrera worked in public works with the cities of South Gate, where he was Deputy City Engineer/Acting City Engineer, and Corona, where he rose to Senior Civil Engineer. His experience also includes private sector engineering work including as Senior Civil Engineer with Parsons Brinckerhoff, Rail Systems Engineer with DMJM-Orange, and Utility Engineer with the DMJM-Alameda Corridor engineering team.

Mr. Herrera is a licensed Civil Engineer in California and earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino. His professional affiliations include the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Public Works Association.

Dinner includes a salad, entree, and dessert provided by The Reef. Bread and butter are included with the dinner. Beverages includes water, lemonade, hot tea, and coffee.

A cash bar will be in service throughout the duration of the event.

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