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Long Beach Camerata Singers will honor Community Leader and Philanthropist, Mark Guillen; Long Beach Harbor Commissioner Sharon Weissman and the RuMBa Foundation at its Opening Night Gala – “A Rendezvous of Voices,” on Thursday, October 6, 2022. The purpose of the award is to recognize individuals and organizations that have helped the arts advance and thrive in Long Beach.
The Gala will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Terrace Theater Lobby. Sponsorships are available at various levels and individual tickets for the event are $250. Both can be purchased online at www.LBCamerata.org or by phone at 562-900-2863.
Previous recipients of the award include Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, Beverly O’Neill, Steve Goodling, the Port of Long Beach, and others. The Beverly O’Neill Arts and Leadership Award is granted to those who have shown leadership in advocating for the arts in Long Beach, ensuring that our city becomes an Arts Destination in Southern California.
Mark Guillen currently directs public affairs efforts in 14 Western States for Crown Castle, an S&P 500 company. He actively participates in philantrophic giving for several organizations, including The RuMBa Foundation, The Long Beach Community Foundation, Crown Castle, and others. Mark also serves as a board member for the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership, The Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP), the YMCA Greater Long Beach Metro Board, the Long Beach Symphony, the Long Beach Museum of Art and the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at CSULB. He is also a member of the Long Beach Rotary.
Sharon L. Weissman, former Senior Advisor to Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, is President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, responsible for setting policy for the Port of Long Beach and managing the Harbor Department. Ms. Weissman was Senior Advisor to Mayor Garcia and later served as Transportation Deputy, beginning in 2014 until her retirement in June, 2020. She served as Mayor Garcia’s liaison to the arts community, the Long Beach Public Library and its support groups, and Sister Cities organizations. Other duties included ensuring compliance with state and city regulations, developing and implementing training opportunities for Council staff, working on issues of sustainability, planning and producing special projects and events, and advising the Mayor on various issues as they arose.
The RuMBa Foundation aims to expand access to the arts for children grades K-12 in the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD). Founded in 2015 by Josephine Molina and Heather Rudy, the organization has distributed more than $4 Million in grants to Long Beach schools and nonprofits that directly support arts experiences for children and their families. During the pandemic the Foundation expanded their reach to help non-profits utilize technology to bring arts to the community.
