Leadership Long Beach was founded in 1989 by some of our community’s most influential and visionary stakeholders. These founders envisioned the formation of a civic improvement program that would serve the community by educating and motivating leaders on issues important to the future and sustainability of our city.  A corresponding purpose was to create a network of knowledgeable and informed community leaders who would support each other as they continued in their professional and personal areas of endeavor.

Our mission is to “develop and connect principled leaders to strengthen the community.” This means more than simply training people to lead. It means instilling in them a sense of dedication to the Long Beach community — creating a passion within each graduate for the betterment of the city, and a commitment to working together to achieve it. The leaders produced by the Leadership Long Beach program have shared experiences, associations and values that enable them to set imaginative, yet realistic goals, and achieve them through coordinated and effective strategies.

We offer three principle-centered leadership programs:

•The Institute, our signature program, is an intensive 10-month course devoted to personal responsibility, commitment, vision, and community trusteeship. Through panel presentations by community leaders and experts, plus hands-on experiences, participants learn about current issues pertaining to the local economy, government, social services, media, and education.

•Executive Quick Start is an intensive
1-month program designed to familiarize individuals with resources in Long Beach and to provide access to the city’s leadership.

•Youth Leadership Long Beach is a 7-month program designed to develop leadership skills in high school sophomores and juniors. The goal is for our students to become active, competent and responsible leaders in their homes, schools, and communities, with a heightened sensitivity to socio-economic, racial, social, ethnic, and cultural issues, as well as developing personal leadership skills.

Leadership Long Beach is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization. We rely on the generosity of corporations, foundations, agencies, and individuals for funding through charitable gifts, sponsorships, contributions, grants, and fees for service.