Long Beach City College District Board Trustee Vivian Malauulu has been elected as the new Board of Trustees president, taking over for Herlinda Chico as she completes her term.
Chico was recognized amongst her peers during the Wednesday Board of Trustees meeting while also being given a plaque by Superintendent-President Mike Munoz, commemorating her service as board president.
“It’s an honor and a privilege when I get to sit up here and attend these events and I get to see the love and enthusiasm for this college and for making it successful, it drives you even further. Thank you for allowing me to serve, I really appreciate it,” Chico said.
Chico now holds the trustee position looking over area 4 which includes East Long Beach and Catalina Island in the LBCC Board of Trustees.
As the meeting continued, the board went on to nominate a new candidate, with trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk giving Malauulu the first nomination.
Immediately after, Board of Trustee Vice President Virgina Baxter seconded Malauulu’s nomination.
All of the members voted in favor of Malauulu becoming the new president.
Once Malauulu was elected, Munoz gave the floor to Malauulu to speak on becoming the new president.
“Thank you to my colleagues on the board for once again entrusting me to lead. I sincerely hope that this term as president is smoother than the last,” Malauulu stated.
Malauulu was last Board president during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she immediately said was a tough spot to be in for her.
She then emphasized on what hopes to be different this time around without a global pandemic.
“You may recall the last time I was board president, we had a pandemic, so it was a little rough. I’m hopeful that things will be a lot smoother this time around and we don’t have a global catastrophe. Thank you all, I appreciate the confidence and I look forward to serving,” Malauulu said.
Malauulu’s term will begin in 2024 as she looks forward to having a much better term than the term she had during the pandemic.