Presentation: Breaking Through: California Companies Working in Offshore Wind
Suzanne Plezia, P.E., is Senior Director of the Program Delivery Group in the Port of Long Beach Engineering Services Bureau. She was promoted to the post in April 2017 by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, having served as both Acting Director and then Director of Construction Management in the Program Delivery Group since January 2014. She reports to the Managing Director of the Engineering Services Bureau.
Her position also holds the title of Chief Harbor Engineer, in charge of executing all of the Port’s capital projects. Ms. Plezia is the first woman to be Chief Harbor Engineer of the Port of Long Beach.
The six divisions of the bureau are organized into two different groups: Program Delivery and Engineering Design and Maintenance. The Program Delivery Group headed by Ms. Plezia includes Program Management, Construction Management, Surveys, and Project Controls. She leads a team of about 135 managers, engineers, inspectors, surveyors, technicians and support staff who are responsible for on-time and within-budget completion of the most extensive capital program in the Port of Long Beach’s history topping $4 billion this decade.
Projects include ongoing construction of the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project and the replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge. Middle Harbor is the world’s first all-electric, emission-free terminal and will dramatically increase the Port’s container capacity. When completed, California’s first cable-stayed bridge and the city’s tallest structure will provide better Port access for mega-ships passing below, additional lanes and safety features for truck and commuter traffic, community access with bicycle lanes and outlook points, and a spectacular new landmark on the California coast.
Ms. Plezia began her career at the Port in 1996 as an intern, fresh out of college, and worked her way up to Deputy Chief Harbor Engineer before being named Acting Director, Director and now Senior Director. A licensed civil engineer, she also worked in the Design and Program Management divisions before settling in Construction Management. In 2012, she guided the procurement process for the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement contract, and she managed construction for the Pier G Container Terminal Replacement project.
A Long Beach native, Ms. Plezia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Irvine.
