6:00am | The following phenomenal people have been added to our panel of judges following over 200 nominations thus far. 

  • Wayne A. Cheney, Jr. is the pastor of the Antioch Church of Long Beach. Pastor Chaney and his wife Myesha also founded the Long Beach Gospel Fest, an annual summer gathering of over 35 of Long Beach’s religious organizations for a showing of music, food, and community; it has grown into the premier religious event in Long Beach. 
  • Susana Gonzalez, is a CSULB masters graduate with a focus in Public Administration and Policy. She oversaw the California State Student Association (CSSA), one of the nation’s largest non-profit student advocacy groups, for seven years before serving as Chief of Staff for Councilmember Robert Garcia in 2009. The daughter of immigrant parents and the first in her family to complete an education beyond high school, her passion and respect for Latino culture she feels has been a catalyst for her traveling experiences across the globe.
  • Diane Ripley, a Long Beach native, successfully built one of the first independent and woman-owned office equipment companies in the United States. She currently owns Kirste Ripley Public relations, a national award winning Public and Government Affairs and Strategy company. She is also a member of the International Association of Business Communicators and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

April 4th, 6:00am | We are proud to announce our first set of judges as well as ticket information for our inaugural event in the Long Beach Post Presents series, the 40 Under 40. More judges will be announced in the near future.

This year’s judges include whom we feel would have been honored in this event already had it existed beforehand. They are singularly imbedded in Long Beach culture, business, and philanthropy. 

  • Kristi Allen is the current manager of Hotel Maya along the south shore of Long Beach. Allen has also held numerous hotel positions in San Francisco, Orlando, and Washington D.C. from 1992 to 2002, where she has individually altered the hospitality scene at each. Allen currently serves on the boards of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, International City Theatre, Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Board, and Downtown Long Beach Associates.

  • William A. Bedrossian is the social workers of social working, having altered the lives of countless youth. His work across North Long Beach is being recognized not only amongst the lives he has directly effected, but by his peers and fellow professionals in the fields of psychology, social work, and policy.

  • Michael DuRee is the current deputy chief of the Long Beach Fire Department, having proudly followed in his father’s footsteps, Rick DuRee, who was the Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal when he retired 10 years ago. Michael has been a longtime dedicated servant to both the safety and livelihood on Long Beach and his role in altering the department as well as the city continues.

  • Randy Gordon is the current president of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, representing over 1,000 businesses across our city. He currently serves on the boards of the YMCA, the California Conference for Equality and Justice, St. Mary Medical Center, the Long Beach City College Foundation Board of Governors, California State University of Long Beach Advisory Board for the School of Engineering, Miller Children’s Hospital Advisory Board, Long Beach Grand Prix Board and the Salvation Army Board of Advisors, and the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House Board. 

  • Erin Gruwell is a former Wilson High English teacher who eventually transformed the lives of her marginalized students and helped create the national bestseller, The Freedom Writers Diary. Her story eventually became the famed motion picture The Freedom Writers starring Hilary Swank. She continues her efforts with the Freedom Writers Foundation, speaking across the country on the power of writing and giving voices to those who don’t have the pedestal to do so.

  • Jamie Mulligan is the chief operating officer of the Long Beach Virginia Country Club and an award-winning PGA professional golfer. He is singularly known as the best coach you’ve never heard of, having guided three of his disciples to become Tour pros. His teaching work has twice earned him Teacher of the Year by the Southern California PGA.

  • Justin Rudd, founder and director of the non-profit organization Community Action Team, is a long time philanthropist and community organizer in Long Beach. Throughout his tenure, he has stood up for women’s rights, LGBT rights, animal rights, environmental stability and green-making policy, all the while having never touched a drink or drug in his lifetime. His events and activities have been featured in every major publication from the New York Times to U.S. News and World Report.

***

Tickets for the event are officially on sale, starting at $40; click here to order. The event includes a red carpet arrival where guests can enjoy a two-hour open bar, food, and entertainment as well as guest speakers and video introductions of each honoree. Private lounges for up to 10 with bottle service are available; please click here for more information and cost.
 
March 30, 1:00pm | The inauguration of our 40 Under 40 is nothing short of an event. It is the unfolding story of the young people that are uniting and networking to create the next generation of change.

It is not just a list nor is it a simple posting of younger people we feel are changing our city. It is a celebration and gathering, a vis-à-vis of recognizing the unrecognized. It is sharing a special space, complete with an environment built to put those often on the side finally on a pedestal. It is about partaking in the efforts occurring now to make us more connected and — a word we will use often — more recognized. It lacks pretense and harbors uniqueness, sheds typicality while embracing dynamism.

And given the hundreds of nominations we have thus far and continue to receive from all corners of our community, recognition is indelibly etched into our community’s heart. Once nominations end, our distinguished panel of judges will individually review each nomination and come to a final list of forty individuals who show off the excellence of Long Beach — not just its well-connectedness.

We cordially invite you to this exemplary festivity, which will take place on April 26th, 6:00pm at The Grand.

And please, keep the nominations rolling in to prove that indeed it is not how much one makes but what change can be fostered with what one has.