The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce hosted its Summer Garden Party and 2026 Board installation on June 24 at Beverly Canon Gardens. The event attracted six hundred community members, and companies representing the breadth of Beverly Hills’ businesses. Mayor Craig Corman, Councilmembers Sharona Nazarian and John Mirisch, and representatives from the offices of California State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and California State Senator Ben Allen also attended.
Cedars-Sinai Vice President of Government and Industry Relations Stephanie Cohen was introduced as the incoming chair of the board of the Chamber of Commerce, taking the mantle from outgoing chair Offer Nissenbaum, managing director of the Peninsula Beverly Hills.
Inducted Chamber board members for 2026-27 include Pouya Abdi, Alex Anderson, Greg Barton, Charles Black, Isaac Boudaie, Alex Cherniss, Maria D’Auria, Julian Gold, M.D., Michael Gargano, Sam Jagger, Doreen Lahav, Houman Mahboubi, Jade Mills, Cesar Osorio, Shahrzad Panahi, Emanuele Ponzo, Chris Rivelle, Shawn Saeedian, Ali Vahdani, Violet Zahedi, Narbeh Leon and Poojah Nair.
In her remarks, Cohen pledged to continue supporting the full breadth of the Beverly Hills business community, from “iconic institutions to family-owned businesses.”
“In many ways, Beverly Hills has shaped the professional that I am today, which makes standing before you tonight especially meaningful,” Cohen said in her speech. “Beverly Hills has incredible momentum. We are home to one of the most dynamic business communities built through decades of partnership between the city, this chamber and our business leaders. The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce has been central to that success, and now it’s our responsibility to build upon it. I love that Beverly Hills continues to evolve while staying true to what makes it special.”
Corman recognized Nissenbaum’s past year of service to the community and celebrated Cohen’s appointment in his remarks.
“Stephanie is someone who’s dedicated a career to making health care more accessible and more equitable to everyone in the community,” Corman said. “It’s exactly this kind of community-level health care that Stephanie has fought to expand and protect. She has championed legislation to expand access to care, increase funding for community health centers and improve services for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Johnson recognized Lashelle Ullie, the owner of a skin care business, as the Chamber’s ambassador of the year.
“He’s a kind person, he is there for us every time, he helps people out, and he’s just a really good guy,” Johnson said. “And he’s a single operator business owner, so I appreciate the efforts that go into that, and he puts the time into the Chamber.”
Chris Rivelle, the CEO of Plant Construction who will succeed Cohen as chair of the board, said that the strength of Beverly Hills’ business community comes from the city’s focus on public safety.
“Our police do an incredible job for the city, maintaining strong community support. I’m a very strong supporter of our police, and I believe that our police force is a major reason that Beverly Hills is the center for business in California. Beverly Hills has an annual GDP of $24 billion and hosts five million visitors annually. The purpose of the Chamber is to empower businesses to thrive.”
Following the reception, guests mingled throughout the gardens and enjoyed culinary and beverage offerings from fellow Chamber businesses.
