Leah Goold-Haws: From LBEP CEO to Guiding Federal Support for LA’s 2028 Olympic Games

Leah, when we last spoke, you were CEO of the Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP), and now you’ve recently concluded your tenure. Talk about any major accomplishments from your time at LBEP and the work you feel most proud of.

Yes, and I’m happy to share that LBEP came on board just before the pandemic, with a lot of deeply dedicated effort from leadership on the LBEP board that came from the entire spectrum of Long Beach—from business to civic, nonprofits, and related organizations. Coming out of the pandemic, I had the opportunity to shift focus from a very boots-on-the-ground approach to a more strategic, high-level perspective—really looking at the Long Beach region holistically. This allowed us to better understand how to drive economic growth on behalf of the city, both as part of L.A. County and, more specifically, within Long Beach itself.

One of our major achievements during that time was elevating the brand of the Long Beach Economic Partnership. The concept originated under former Mayor and now Congressman Garcia, and that vision was significantly expanded under the current leadership of Mayor Richardson. A central objective has been the Grow Long Beach initiative, which is an inclusive effort to foster economic growth across all communities in the city.

In addition to elevating the brand, two other key goals were our successful collaboration with peer organizations across the county and our ability to host several high-impact events right here in Long Beach. These included the Annual Economic Forum, as well as the Site Selector Conference, which we hosted twice—once this year and once last year—making us one of only a few cities in California to do so.

Thanks to our partnership with the Port of Long Beach and the relaunch of the World Trade Center Long Beach, we were also able to host the World Trade Breakfast and participate in the Select LA event, among several others. All of these efforts played a significant role in showcasing the city and advancing economic development in Long Beach.

You took on several ambitious projects at LBEP—related to offshore wind, air mobility, and the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan. Highlight what you think their progress has been since they were initiated.

Absolutely right. The City of Long Beach has been dedicated to advancing clean energy ambitions, and Long Beach—for those familiar, driving through the city—you can't help but recognize the oil drills that dot the landscape. That's certainly been a part of the history of the City of Long Beach. 

It was a big claim coming out of City Hall under Mayor Richardson to move away from fossil fuels, which had historically helped to fund the city’s general fund, and towards a commitment to clean energy.

The Port of Long Beach, as a key and important economic partner, established the Pier Wind project. In that regard, it has dedicated space adjacent to the port complex where these offshore wind turbines will be assembled. Those will then be moved further north, as I understand it, but that assembly process will take place here at the Port of Long Beach. 

That will be part of this network of offshore wind projects that the State of California is driving, and that's something the city is very excited about—not just for the commitment to clean energy, but also the jobs created as a result.

Having the unique opportunity to chair the Advanced Air Mobility Working Group that LBEP launched just before I came on board, this was a major project for me. We worked with over 10 OEMs dedicated to this “urban air taxi,” if you will, and there’s been plenty of progress made. This current administration has an executive order regarding this form of transportation, and just a few months back, Mayor Richardson tweeted about his commitment to seeing this technology available in time for the 2028 Olympics. 

It’s an exciting time for the city of Long Beach, which has taken a bold stance on clean energy and an overall commitment to leveraging that as a way to create new jobs and promote economic vitality.

That’s big, and going back to the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan, I’d love for you to elaborate on where that stands now.

Yes, that is an exciting project that’s been underway for quite some time. I’d say the city’s leadership has clearly recognized this as a unique opportunity—especially with the eyes of the world turning to Long Beach in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympic Games.

We’re one of only a very few cities in California with an oceanfront directly adjacent to real city infrastructure. The shoreline is not only a major part of Long Beach’s appeal but also a vital hub for jobs, tourism, and the overall visitor experience.

Two key projects are focused on that opportunity. First is the Queen Mary revitalization, which has been in progress for a while and has proven to be a major success—the Queen Mary has gone from being in the red for quite some time to now operating fully in the black. As part of the surrounding Queen Mary area, there is also a goal for this fall to launch the first iteration of what will become a full outdoor arena or amphitheater. The city’s ambition is to bring in more music and entertainment, which has actually been central to Long Beach’s identity for decades, almost since the city's inception.

There’s a lot of enthusiasm around this. And finally, I’ll just note that it’s quite rare in California to have an opportunity for development along the waterfront. That’s exactly the case here in Long Beach—one of the key features we highlighted at our Site Selector Conference earlier this year.

On Mayor Richardson's Opportunity Agenda, can you expand or update us?

I think it’s a continuation of what he put forth in his first 100 days in office with the Grow Long Beach initiative. I came on board with LBEP around the same time and was very fortunate to shadow his office in some of these interactions with the primary industries in Long Beach.

That’s where the mayor has really stated a strong commitment to growing the major industries here, including Space Beach, among others. But outside of that, the mayor’s office has explicitly stated a commitment to the entrepreneur community, particularly the small- and mid-sized business community…a really important stance to take. 

Oftentimes, leadership doesn’t always understand the importance of our entrepreneurs and our small business ecosystem. Quite frankly, from my time in that world—on behalf of the State—we well understood that outside of state and local government, the biggest employer is small businesses, usually with 20 employees or fewer.

To have this commitment to not only supporting those businesses, but then to have the mayor’s office and his economic development team roll out all of these incentives, both to support struggling businesses and retain historical businesses, was a great part of my work at LBEP, now standing as an incredible asset to the community and to the city.

With those successes, let’s talk about your next life. You’ve now stepped into a new role with the M2 Group in Washington, D.C., and you’re working with, among others, the Trump administration’s newly formed White House Task Force on the 2028 Olympics. What a subject to talk to you about! What’s the agenda for you?

To clarify, I'm not working officially in any capacity, but yes, the M2 Group is a government advocacy organization headed by Morgan Muncnik, who has an extensive background, from serving as a congressional aide to lobbying. Advocating on the Hill, he is my conduit, if you will, to this administration. There’s just so much to accomplish through collaboration between California and federal leadership. I know we’re in a rather challenging moment in time with a lot of contentious language out there, but I think we’ll get past that.

The 2028 Games present a truly unique opportunity—not just for the State of California, but also, quite frankly, for the ambitions of this administration—to showcase a nation united around the shared identity that the Olympics bring to any host country. That’s important to keep in mind, especially as other political conversations continue to unfold.

It also represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for California, and certainly for the City of Long Beach, to have the eyes of the world focused on our beautiful city—and to make critical investments in infrastructure to support the venues where we’ll host our guests, our athletes, and the Games themselves.

Digging deeper: Regarding your specifc role M2 Group, what are you trying to help them accomplish?

When it comes to collaboration with the current administration, it’s about tapping into those shared goals. The Olympic Committee—chaired by President Trump and Vice President Vance—has already outlined several key commitments.

On infrastructure and transportation, this is a pivotal moment for the City of Long Beach and L.A. County to capitalize on federal investment. If we can align with the administration’s dedication to building infrastructure and enhancing transportation, we absolutely should explore every opportunity to do so. 

Regarding security, as L.A. County prepares to host an increasing number of high-profile international events before and beyond the 2028 Games—including the World Cup, among others—security will be a top priority.

Then, for visa processing, ensuring efficient processing for the expected influx of international visitors will be essential. We must work to streamline and expedite these systems so that all guests can arrive seamlessly and on time for the Games. There is also a focus on how these Games can leverage AI and other emerging technologies to enhance the Olympic experience.

My interest in working with the M2 Group is rooted in proximity to this administration and access to the conversations taking place within the Olympic Committee. It’s about facilitating dialogue on behalf of our leadership here in California, L.A. County, and Long Beach, and identifying areas of synergy to foster meaningful collaboration for the Games.

Well articulated, but to be fair to our readers and their expectations, I’d imagine you will be tested on aligning these interests…Talk about what resources you’re going to rely on to bring us together here, because this is a real challenge.

Yeah, it absolutely is. I was just in D.C. in May—I actually attended a weeklong delegation with the L.A. World Affairs Council. It was a wonderful week full of meetings. We visited think tanks, the State Department, press pools, etc., and heard from many diverse leaders about the current state under this administration.

To your point, David, there are many strong opinions, but the goal is to again, go back to what makes the most sense from an economic growth standpoint. If we can—and I’m not suggesting that everyone put politics aside—but if we can, we should be looking for true wins. I believe our shared interests are meaningful for both sides of the equation.

I’ll give you a quick example. I had a conversation with a colleague of mine who works in the EV transportation sector on behalf of the State of California. She collaborates with the States of Oregon and Washington…frequently in D.C. One of the things she expressed is that this administration is looking for ways to offer upskilling to the workforce—to increase employment and tech adoption on behalf of businesses.

California wants the same thing. California wants to see our residents employed with salaries that provide a comfortable lifestyle for families and others living in the state, and those are the types of talking points that will resonate with leaders on both sides.

It may take some delicate conversations, but ultimately, there are real goals that both sides—at the federal and state levels—would consider as wins. I could give you many more such examples, but I’ll leave it at that.

It's going to be an interesting couple of years but to close out this topic, is the LA28 Committee doing their best to achieve the goals just articulated? 

I’m an outsider to the official LA28 Committee. I’ve had peripheral discussions with a lot of different folks—from LA Metro, SoCal Edison, LAEDC, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, etc. We’ve all been in those meetings to hear about the very ambitious goals that LA has. I do think, ultimately, that Los Angeles will find the way forward. 

I think that the commitment is there, and the people working on it seem deeply committed to a successful outcome. I think once we’re past these midterm elections, that may also help decompress things a bit, but there’s just too much opportunity ahead.

I go back to the example of advanced air mobility. That’s something California wants to lead on and showcase as one of these unique technologies that serve Los Angeles, and there’s certainly no better time to showcase something like that than at the Olympics.

There may be kerfuffles between now and the end of next year, but I think the folks of LA28 want a successful outcome—and I certainly believe our current administration feels the same way. We just have to find where those areas of collaboration can happen, and I think we’ll be surprised at how successful we can be.

Let me close with the Olympic Arts Festival. Interestingly enough, the video that LA28 published at the conclusion of the Paris Games ended on the beach in Long Beach, LA. Talk about your hopes not only for Long Beach, but our whole metropolitan area, now that you've left LBEP.

That was such an exciting moment for us, and with this question, I just go back to the commitment of the people I know in Long Beach who’ve been part of the Long Beach Economic Partnership since its inception. With the leadership we have at the city now, there’s a real dedication. It’s always been the case, in my experience over many decades here, that people love Long Beach. People who are here love being here, so seeing Long Beach on the world stage like that was indeed a big moment.

Long Beach has risen to the occasion—certainly post-Gulfstream, Boeing, and some of the aviation history that took place during World War II, which shaped so much of the infrastructure here. Once those industries departed, it did take some time for Long Beach to get its footing again.

But that’s where things like air mobility have a real opportunity to gain a foothold here. Our history in aviation, our experiences in working with the port, and even our history with fossil fuels have well prepared the city to step into the spotlight at this moment.

We have a lot of unique assets that other cities don’t have. We’re uniquely situated geographically between L.A. and Orange County, so we have this influx of visitors from both directions, and I think what we’re going to see is that Long Beach is committed to rising to the occasion. We really want to be a bookend, if you will, between what’s taking place in L.A. and what’s happening here.

Long Beach is hosting more Olympic events than any other city outside of L.A., so the city is excited and doesn’t want to drop the ball on this really important moment in time.