Born:  Madras, India

Represents on MWD board: City of Long Beach

Joined MWD board: May 2008

Current MWD committee appointments:

Member: Special Committee on Desalination and Recycling; Engineering and Operations Committee; Water Planning and Stewardship Committee; Communications and Legislation Committee.

Water industry affiliations:

In May 2007, Lowenthal was appointed as an alternate to the California Coastal Commission, which plans and regulates land and water use in the state’s coastal zone, in partnership with coastal cities and counties.  She served as the chief of strategic planning and initiatives for the Water Replenishment District of Southern California for two years. 

Prior to joining the replenishment district, she was the government affairs manager for both Central Basin Municipal Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District.

Professional and community activities:

Lowenthal was re-elected to the Long Beach City Council after serving the remaining two years of former Councilmember Dan Baker’s term where she also serves as Vice Mayor. She represented the Third District on the Long Beach Unified School District’s Board of Education from 2001-06.  During her tenure as board president in 2003-04, the district was recognized as the best urban school district in the nation by the Broad Foundation.

Previously, Lowenthal coordinated the Domestic Violence Unit for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, providing education and training to thousands of students and officials in Los Angeles schools, city agencies, community organizations and law enforcement divisions. In 1993, Lowenthal joined the city of Los Angeles’ Dept. of Aging, where she coordinated the Meals-on-Wheels program, prepared the departmental budget and administered grant dollars. 

Lowenthal has been active in several local community organizations, including the Long Beach Affordable Housing Commission, YMCA of Long Beach Area Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Council, Long Beach Downtown Development Task Force, Heal the Bay, Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, Aquarium of the Pacific Watershed Curriculum Steering Committee, Lambda Long Beach, Long Beach Human Relations Project and the National Conference for Community and Justice.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of California at Los Angeles, a master’s degree in business administration from California State University, Los Angeles and a doctorate in policy, planning and development from the University of Southern California.