PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – Today, City Manager Tom Modica announced the appointment of Grace H. Yoon as Deputy City Manager for the City of Long Beach. Ms. Yoon will work alongside the City Manager and Assistant City Manager as part of the City’s Executive Management Team to implement City Council’s policies and programs serving the Long Beach community. Ms. Yoon will begin her role as Deputy City Manager starting on Oct. 7, 2023, with a transition period with the Budget Office until Dec. 1, 2023.

“Grace is a talented, dedicated City leader whose hard work and leadership has steered our organization through financial resiliency, fostered a culture of community engagement within our budgeting process, and has a heart that genuinely cares for the community of which we serve,” said City Manager Tom Modica. “I look forward to her stepping into this role and her leadership as a Deputy City Manager.”

As Deputy City Manager, Ms. Yoon will work collaboratively with City Department directors to ensure the City Council’s policies and programs are implemented and that departments are working collaboratively to meet the community’s needs. As a key member of the City’s Executive Team, she will directly oversee the Office of Governmental Affairs, the Office of Cannabis Oversight, and the implementation of the Strategic Visioning Plan. Additionally, she will provide leadership and assistance in other high priority service areas such as economic development, public safety, hiring, and homelessness, among others. In addition to working collaboratively with City officials, as Deputy City Manager, Ms. Yoon will also engage with a wide variety of public and private organizations, governmental agencies and community groups, focusing on intergovernmental coordination and grant coordination for state and federal funding opportunities.

Ms. Yoon has been employed with the City of Long Beach for over 16 years, and most recently served as the Budget Manager for the Department of Financial Management since 2018 where she was instrumental in the management, administration and facilitation of the annual Citywide budget. As Budget Manager, she led the day-to-day efforts of the Budget Management Bureau, including the coordination of the City’s $3.2 billion budget development and monitoring; long range financial forecasting and planning; revenue management; special projects research and analysis; and developed and implemented citywide strategic approaches in collaboration with the City Manager’s Executive Team. During her tenure with the City, Ms. Yoon additionally held various other roles in the Department of Financial Management, Human Resources Department and City Manager’s Office.

“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to serve the City of Long Beach in the capacity of Deputy City Manager,” said Yoon. “Having been a part of the Long Beach family since 2007, I've had the privilege to see our city evolve, adapt, and flourish with visionary leadership and genuine collaboration. I am committed to upholding the values that make Long Beach exceptional, and eager to work together with community partners and the City team to build on our successes and propel our community forward.”

The City launched recruitment for the Deputy City Manager position on June 5, 2023, and received significant interest from over 200 candidates. After a thorough, multi-step panel interview process with City leaders as well as representatives from local and regional governments and businesses, Ms. Yoon was identified as the top candidate to fulfill the responsibilities of the Deputy City Manager role based on her work experience and education.

Ms. Yoon holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University.

Geraldine Alejo, currently serving as the Revenue Management Officer in the Department of Financial Management, will take over as Acting Budget Manager once Ms. Yoon begins her new role as Deputy City Manager. The City will conduct a formal recruitment process for the Budget Manager position.

The City thanks Tyler Bonanno-Curley, who has been serving as Acting Deputy City Manager, for his instrumental leadership and commitment to ensure the continued progress of several programs and initiatives while the City recruited for the permanent position. Mr. Bonanno-Curley will resume his duties overseeing Government Affairs for the City, as well as participate in other important citywide initiatives as a key member of the City Manager’s Office, when Ms. Yoon fully steps into the role of Deputy City Manager in December.