1st Century Bank Chairman to Lead Los Angeles Tourism Board

The founder and chairman of 1st Century Bank in Los Angeles has been named to chair the city's tourism and convention board.

Alan Rothenberg will oversee a 26-member, volunteer group responsible for attracting visitors and large-scale conventions.

Marketing the city of L.A. is a trade that Rothenberg — a well-known sports executive — knows well. He overseen some of the of the city's most memorable sporting events.

Rothenberg, a founder of Major League Soccer, chaired the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup at the Rose Bowl Stadium, which the U.S. team famously won with an overtime penalty kick by Brandi Chastain.

Rothenberg also served as a member of the National Basketball Association's board of governors from 1971 to 1979, and again from 1982 to 1990. During that time, the L.A. Lakers appeared in 10 NBA championships, including in some of the league's most-memorable games between the Lakers' Magic Johnson and former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird.

In addition to his role at the $584 million-asset 1St Century, Rothenberg is chairman of Premier Partnerships, a sports marketing firm in Santa Monica.