Bonnie Lowenthal is a member of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, the five-person board that manages the City’s Harbor Department and oversees the nation’s second-busiest seaport. First named to the Commission in July 2017 and reappointed to a second and final six-year term in May 2023, during her tenure, she has been elected by her Board colleagues to serve two one-year terms as President, two as Vice President and two as Secretary. She brings a broad history of public service and deep experience in the City of Long Beach, formerly serving as a state Assemblymember, Long Beach City Councilmember, Vice Mayor, and member of the Long Beach Unified School District Board.
She has dedicated over 20 years to working on sustainable development across intergovernmental, academic, diplomatic, and civil society organisations. At the OECD, She had the privilege of founding and managing the Water Governance Programme from 2007 to 2017. Since then, She has been leading the Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development Division, where she manages a talented and multidisciplinary team. Together, they support national and local governments in developing better urban policies to enhance quality of life, drawing on internationally comparable data, evidence-based analysis, and tailored policy recommendations. She also focuses on fostering knowledge exchange, peer learning, and capacity building to drive meaningful change.
Johan Klaps (1970) was born in Maaseik. He graduated as a translator English-Italian in Antwerp and completed his academic career with additional studies in International Politics. After his studies and a year working as a tour guide in the United States, he entered the banking and insurance sector, where he became the managing director of his own branches. In 2019, he began working as a consultant. He became Head of Direct Network at Ethias and launched a digital platform for circular building in Flanders.
His political career started in 2012, when he was elected city councilor for N-VA in Antwerp. From 2014 to 2018, he was active in federal politics as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. In October 2024, he was appointed Vice Mayor for the Port, Urban Development, Spatial Planning and Patrimony. Since January 2025, he has been serving as Vice Mayor for the Port and Economy, combining his policy vision with years of business experience.
Graduated with a DESS in maritime engineering works from the University of Sciences and Technologies of Nantes, Nicolas Ménard has been responsible for the planning, operation, and maintenance of port facilities in France for nearly 25 years.
From 2003 to 2013, he worked at the Grand Port Maritime de Nantes Saint-Nazaire, then joined the Grand Port Maritime de La Rochelle as Head of Engineering Services. In 2020, he became Director of Infrastructure, and then a member of the Executive Board in 2023.
He coordinates the Aquitania Wind Energy project and has also chaired the Sea Pole La Rochelle association since 2026, the La Rochelle-based collective of companies in the naval sector.
