Catalina rep elected LBCC Board of Trustees president

Courtesy Photo Herlinda Chico will preside over the meetings of the Board and act as chief spokesperson for the Board, among other duties.

For the Islander

At its Annual Organization and Regular monthly meeting on Dec. 14, the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees unanimously elected Trustee Herlinda Chico as president of the Board and Trustee Vivian Malauulu as the Board vice president for 2023.

In this role, Chico will preside over the meetings of the Board and act as chief spokesperson for the Board, among other duties. The positions are elected annually among the five elected Board members, to a one-year term.

“I’m honored that my colleagues selected me to serve in this role for the next year,” said Chico. “As Board President, I look forward to connecting more community leaders and organizations with Long Beach City College. I hope to expand and strengthen those relationships while the Board continues to work together to help Long Beach City College students and the communities we serve to achieve their educational goals.”

Chico was elected in 2020 and has served the past two years in the role of Vice President. On the LBCCD Board she represents Area 4, which is comprised of Santa Catalina Island and East Long Beach.

She has been politically active since the age of 19 and volunteered for several campaigns and community organizations over the decades. The Long Beach Branch NAACP and Centro Cha have recognized her work, as well as receiving the Whitey Littlefield Bridge Builder Award from Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Pride, the Cambodian Association of America’s Outstanding Public Service Award and Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell’s Women of Distinction Award. For the past six years, she has been a field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

She is the first person of color to be elected to this seat and the first Mexican American woman elected to the Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees.

As a product of the California community college system, Trustee Chico knows first-hand that a high-quality public education can be a great equalizer for students. She attended Rio Hondo Community College and transferred to California State University, San Bernardino where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Prior to being elected, Trustee Chico’s work in the community included successfully connecting local non-profits that work with traditionally marginalized populations to resources at LBCC. Trustee Chico was also instrumental in bringing LBCC classes to the Carmelitos Housing Development in North Long Beach, the largest subsidized public housing in the Long Beach Community College District Service Area.

In addition to her leadership in education, Trustee Chico has served on several important boards and commissions including Long Beach City College’s Student Housing Selection Panel, Long Beach City College Basic Needs Task Force, Long Beach City College Job Fair Planning Committee, Long Beach Parks and Recreation Commission, Conservation Corps of Long Beach Advisory Board, Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Animal Care and Visioning Task Force, Chair of the Watershed Conservation Authority and as a representative on the Gateway Cities Council of Government.

Trustee Chico is a third-generation public servant and has 20 years of legislative and public affairs experience. She currently works for Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, serving as the lead liaison for constituent services and policy advisor for Long Beach, Signal Hill, and Catalina Island.

As a long-time resident of Long Beach and active community advocate, Trustee Chico’s dedicated community service has been recognized by several Long Beach organizations including the Long Beach Branch NAACP (President’s Award), Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Pride (Whitey Littlefield Bridge Builder Award), Centro Cha (Excellence in Community Service Award), the Cambodian Association of America (Outstanding Public Service Award) and Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell’s Woman of Distinction Award.

Chico is a homeowner in the Traffic Circle neighborhood. She enjoys spending time spent with her close-knit circle of family and friends and with her rescue animals. She also loves to volunteer in the community and to travel.