Parker, Gwendolyn
IMC Municipal Consulting
Title: Partner
Phone: 562-576-1800
Fax: 562-494-0751
gparker@incocommercial.com
Following a career of more than 20 years in municipal government, Gwendolyn Parker joined IMC Municipal Consulting (IMC), becoming a partner for the firm. Upon stepping into this new role, she worked as the lead consultant on a contract awarded by the Port of Los Angeles, delivering real estate services, coordinating training, surveying port operations across the United States, and updating leasing policies and procedures. Currently Ms. Parker is contributing to strategic efforts to enhance local economic development opportunities.
Prior to joining IMC, Ms. Parker served as director of the Harbor, Business and Transit Department at the City of Redondo Beach. She was responsible for directing the management of property leases, economic development services/business assistance, administration of Pier-area contract parking operations, commencement of waterfront rehabilitation efforts, preparation and management of the Department’s $6 million operating budget, and community outreach. She also served as the liaison to the City’s Harbor Commission.
Ms. Parker led efforts on the highly anticipated waterfront demonstration project focused on the revitalization of the Redondo Beach Harbor/Pier area after many years of decline. Coordinating with the Planning and Public Works departments, local approvals were obtained and a coastal development permit was secured through the California Coastal Commission. Ms. Parker also coordinated stakeholder meetings to obtain community input on a signage program for the Pier area, and improvements to an existing waterfront park. The new signage offered a fresher look and clearer directions to the Pier. In addition, Ms. Parker served as General Manager of Beach Cities Transit, a public transportation system providing local transit services in the cities of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Torrance. In her role as General Manager, Ms. Parker interacted with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and the South Bay Cities Council of Governments on local and regional transit legislative matters.
Before the move to Redondo Beach, Ms. Parker spent most of her career at the City of Long Beach. Her tenure began as an economic development specialist in the Community Development Department delivering economic development services, marketing and administering the City’s Commercial and Industrial Revolving Loan Program, and working with the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency. Ms. Parker was also an administrative analyst. With responsibilities for preparation of complex analyses, calculation of revenue and expense projections, budget preparation and monitoring, development and oversight of capital improvement project budgets, execution of surveys/policy research, development of administrative procedures, contract negotiations and administration, preparation of administrative reports, and grant writing and administration.
Ms. Parker’s expertise led to work in the Parks, Recreation and Marine and Public Works departments where she cultivated inter-departmental affairs, enhanced communications, and fostered consensus building to bring a partnering environment to internal and external relationships.
During her time in Parks, Recreation and Marine, Ms. Parker was a project coordinator on the Golden Shore Recreational Vehicle Park development, the first phase of private investment in the Queen’s Way Bay project area; she also served as the Department liaison responsible for maintaining communication and cultivating relationships with area tenants, contractors, and City personnel to support business operations during construction along the waterfront. In addition, Ms. Parker was responsible for the Contract Management Division’s annual reporting to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office.
Ms. Parker’s diverse skills and adaptability allowed her to hold several executive positions: Budget Services Officer in the Public Works Department, Fiscal Administrator in the Police Department, and Contract Management Officer in the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department.
Prior to her Long Beach career, Ms. Parker worked at Consolidated Capital Companies, a real estate investment firm located in the San Francisco Bay Area, which specialized in real estate investment trusts across the United States. Ms. Parker’s primary work involved mortgage administration, initiation of preliminary loan documentation, procurement of certifications specific to the location of the transactions, coordination with escrow/title companies, and collaboration with in-house counsel on loan terms and documentation.
Ms. Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University. She has completed various real estate classes and earned a certificate from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, “Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.” Ms. Parker is an alumnus of Leadership Long Beach and a member of the California Association for Local Economic Development.
Ms. Parker was born and raised in Berkeley, CA, and now resides in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.