With over 300 nominations received, thirty select women from that list will be honored this Saturday at The Grand before Long Beach officially welcomes the California Women’s Conference.

And we are proud to announce our entire judges panel, consisting of some of Long Beach’s most respected citizens and forward thinkers–including many of our 40 Under 40 honorees–to whittle that list down to select winners.

This year’s panel includes:

  • Trent Bryson
    • Trent’s business leadership has led him to lead one of Long Beach’s financial powerhouses as well as one of the leading employment benefits consulting firms in Southern California. As CEO of Bryson Financial Group, Trent’s innovation and hard work have put him on a national platform to address business and finances.
  • Erin Earlywine Vince
    • An active volunteer for Children Today, one of Long Beach’s most respected nonprofits, Erinis one of Long Beach’s largest health advocates. Establishing her TRY-FIT program, her community outreach attempts to exemplify healthy living and education as well as an active lifestyle.
  • April Economides
    • Recently asked to manage the massive Bike Nation deal coordinated with Long Beach–one of the nation’s largest bike-sharing programs–as well as creating the nation’s largest bike discount program–Bike Saturdays–April is an advocate for alternative mobility and biking safety. Born and raised right here in Long Beach, April exudes forward thinking and has helped hone Long Beach into one of the country’s most bike friendly cities.
  • Nancy Foster
    • Having served Long Beach for twelve years and counting, Nancy Foster has shown that, even as the wife of the Mayor, one can remain passionate and exuberant about changing our community for the better. Serving on countless boards ranging from the Long Beach Cancer League to the Embracing Latina Leadership Alliance (ELLA), Nancy continues to move and shape our city into a better tomorrow.
  • Joen Garnica
    • Joen has not only become one of Long Beach’s most talented designers, but one of its quickest to rise: in her late 20s, she already successfully opened and created her own design firm, Garnica Interiors Inc. A dreamer at heart, Joen stands out as a firm reason that women are needed to move a community forward.
  • Julie Kreisler
    • Julie is one of Long Beach’s brightest businesswomen in the world of advertising and marketing, with her Kreisler Group having one of the broadest range of clientele in the city. Also active within the Rotarian Club, where she specifically focuses on fostering young professionals, Julie seamlessly blends business and philanthropy.
  • Tom Modica
    • Tom is not just a part of Long Beach–he actually helps the City operate. Slowly moving up through the City ranks since 2002, where he began as a Management Assistant, he now plays a key role in creating and implementing our City’s strategies for maintain its operation.
  • Jennifer Moore
    • Jennifer feels–and rightfully so–that her work for the Ronald McDonald House has affected not just the organization itself but Long Beach as a whole. Serving as Development Manager there, she has continuously helped families directly deal with their sick children, as well as find ways to gain support during their most difficult of trials.
  • Michelle Patterson
    • The visionary behind bringing the California Women’s Conference back to life, Michelle has altered the perspective of the event by making Long Beach it’s true keynote speaker. By involving and including every aspect of our great city, Michelle is a pioneer in removing the event from the hierarchies of power and simply giving it back to women of all creeds.
  • Chad Sammeth:
    • Chad is one of the most vibrant members of the local Cambodian community as well as Long Beach as a whole. His love of our city has pushed him to not only become the Project Coordinator and Community Organizer for the United Cambodian Community Inc., but also serve on the steering committee for the 10-year initiative “Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach,” to improve Central Long Beach’s overall health.
  • Judy Seal
    • Judy’s contributions to the educational scene of Long Beach is–simply put–staggering. Serving as Executive Director of the Long Beach Education Foundation, she has helped lead the Seamless Education program–whose executive committee includes LBUSD Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser, LBCC President Eloy Oakley, and CSULB President F. King Alexander–which helps students transition from high school to higher education.

30 Women to Watch will occur on Saturday, September 22 beginning at 7PM.

Tickets for the 30 Women to Watch event are now officially on sale and can be purchased online here.

The Grand is located at 4101 East Willow Street.