Gov. Gavin Newsom has named Board of Trustees Vice President Uduak-Joe Ntuk the new State Gas and Oil Supervisor where he will supervise a division of approximately 400 people.
A celebration was held for Ntuk Wednesday October 23 for his new job at the Department of Conservation.
“I think it gives us a stronger connection to Sacramento. A lot of bills and funding come directly from state legislature, so I’ll be working there as my day job but I’ll still be here on the board part-time,” Ntuk said.
Ntuk’s new objectives as Oil and Gas supervisor will be to develop carbon footprint reduction projects and working alongside the energy industry and the state to bring feasible solutions for environmental challenges.
Ntuk was elected to the LBCCD Board in 2018 and plans on continuing his duties for the Board while working for the Department of Conservation.
“We know he’s going to represent us well and we’re excited LBCC has gotten recognition at the state level,” said Romali.
“We’re incredibly excited. When we got the news that he got the job we were so thrilled. He’s a wonderful man, he’s going to do great things,” Superintendent-President Romali said.
Long Beach Councilmember Roberto Uranga who served on the Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2014 was present at the event and praised Ntuk for his dedication to the Long Beach community.
“He has been a long-time advocate for community activists in Long Beach. I met him through those kinds of circles: working together to make some positive change,” Uranga said.
As a California Coastal Commission member, Uranga explained how Ntuk’s new role will impact Long Beach and the oil wells near the city.
“His job would cross with me at a certain extent when it comes to the development [of the coast] and how we handle oil fields, oil protection, and how we are able to protect our coasts from oil spills and from contamination of oil wells in the coasts,” Uranga said.
The event took place at LAC where Board President Vivian Malauulu and Superintendent-President Romali congratulated Ntuk on his new achievement.