Tozer named co-chair of L.B. chamber

Leah Rosensweig-Tozer was recently elected co-chair of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, the first woman to hold the post in the organization’s 140-year history.

Tozer said it “shouldn’t have taken this long” for a woman to be in this position, but she is ready to represent the “historically under-represented” women-owned businesses.

Tozer, 47, is a well-known real-estate broker in the city and a former City Council candidate who ran unsuccessfully last year under the banner of Long Beach United. She will serve as chamber co-chair with James Lynch, owner of JM Lynch Construction. Both were vice chairs before succeeding Ian Danby in mid-January. Danby, an eight-year chamber member, had been the chair the past four years.

Tozer joined the chamber six years ago, saying she thought change was needed because the group had become too political, and she wanted to “do good.”

“Sometimes you have to put yourself out there if you want to do good,” Tozer said about the chamber.

Tozer acknowledged that being co-chair would put her in the spotlight more than her 17 fellow board members, the most in the chamber’s history. She also noted, though, that running the chamber is a group effort by the entire board.

“I love the people I work with on the board,” Tozer said. “It’s not just me, it’s collective. Even so, I will continue to stand up for the right thing, even if it’s not the popular point of view.”

Sam Pinto, a Long Beach firefighter and Board of Education trustee, said he is “very excited for Leah,” noting that her “personal energy and personality will help maintain the quality of the chamber.”

“She’ll bring a lot of energy like she already has,” said Liz Nachman, owner of Rebuild the Beach. “Everyone is focused on her being the first woman in this position, but they should know she’s so busy and involved, yet still finds a way to lead this torch.”

Tozer grew up in Merrick and attended John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, which was 10 minutes away. After high school, she attended Nassau Community College for two years before transferring to Queens College. After college, Tozer moved to Long Beach.

She lived in the East End with a roommate for a few years. Her next stop was an apartment on Broadway. Then, in 2002, she bought her first home in Granada Towers on Riverside Boulevard.

Tozer is now an associate real estate broker for Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty. She has sold properties in Long Beach and across Long Island.

“I’m really lucky because I meet everyone leaving and entering the area,” Tozer said.

She became involved with real estate after having had a bad experience with a broker when she was in her 20s, who she said gave her bad advice.

“I’m in this for longevity,” Tozer said. “I want everyone to make money and do well with their investment.”

Tozer has a husband, James, and two children, an 8-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter who are in the Long Beach School District. Because of that, Tozer is involved in the PTA and “helps the district out as much as she can.”