GARY M. CUSUMANO

Newhall Land

Since 2004, Gary Cusumano has served as chair of Newhall Land, one of the most important land development companies in Southern California. The company, founded more than 120 years ago, is largely responsible for developing pioneering master-planned communities in the Santa Clarita Valley north of Los Angeles, and is now planning new communities on the company’s extensive holdings that are expected to eventually be home to more than 20,000 families.

The son of a farmer in the Lodi area, Cusumano joined Newhall Land in 1969 after a tour in the U.S. Army. He held various positions in the company’s agricultural and real estate divisions before being named chief operating officer in 1987 president and chief operating officer in 1989, and chief executive officer in 2001. He assumed his current position upon the sale of Newhall Land to Lennar Corporation.

​Cusumano is a past chair of the California Chamber of Commerce, a past regent of the University of California, a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. He was honored as the Greater L.A./Ventura Building Industry Association’s Builder of the Year in 2001.