Executive Director
Port of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Mario Cordero, an international maritime industry leader, Long Beach resident, and attorney, is executive director of the Port of Long Beach, California, named to the post by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in 2017. Prior to this role, Mario was appointed to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the federal agency responsible for regulating the nation’s international ocean transportation. Appointed to the FMC by President Barack Obama in 2011, Mario served as FMC chairman from 2013 to 2017. He previously was a member, vice president and president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, beginning in 2003.
As executive director of the Port of Long Beach, Mario reports to the Board and leads the Port’s Harbor Department staff of more than 500 with a budget of $650 million for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Inclusiveness and collaboration are hallmarks of Mario’s leadership style, and due to both his Port and FMC leadership experience, he understands the needs of ocean carriers, terminal operators, cargo owners and other trade partners locally, nationally and around the globe. During his tenure as a Long Beach Harbor Commissioner, Mario spearheaded the development of the pioneering and nationally recognized Green Port Policy, which outlines a sustainable environmental ethic for all Port operations, mandating that trade growth must run parallel with environmental stewardship.
He serves as the Port’s representative to the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority Governing Board and to the Governing Board of the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility-Joint Powers Authority. Mario was elected chairman of the Board for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in 2020 following a term as vice chairman.
Mario has practiced law for more than 30 years, specializing in workers’ compensation cases. The Mexican-American Bar Association named him Attorney of the Year in 2007; he received an environmental award the same year from the League of California Cities and is a 2019 Education & Leadership Institute (ESP) BOSS Award recipient. Away from his legal practice, he has taught political science at Long Beach City College and served on the City of Long Beach Community Development Commission. He also was vice chair of the City-commissioned Long Beach Ethics Task Force that developed a Code of Ethics for Long Beach City employees, as well as elected and appointed officials. He holds a law degree from the University of Santa Clara and a bachelor of science degree in political science from California State University, Long Beach.