Long Beach City College (LBCC) announced this week the appointment of Gene Durand as the Associate Vice President of Human Resources, whose first day at the college was Monday.

“Gene brings his extensive experience as a human resource professional to the College, and we are pleased to welcome him,” said Eloy Ortiz Oakley, still acting superintendent-president of Long Beach City College, in a statement. “He possesses a wide range of human resources expertise, including recruitment, labor relations and contract negotiations, employee training, and benefits management.”

Durand will oversee human resources academic operations, under the supervision of the Vice President of Human Resources, which include collective bargaining, employee/employer relations, recruitment and hiring processes, human resources information systems management, unlawful discrimination, Title IX investigations and ADA accommodations, according to the release.

Durand was the former Director of Human Resources at Desert Community College District, College of the Desert in Palm Desert, where he was responsible for labor negotiations and employee relations, manager training, investigations, and equal employment opportunity and legal compliance, according to the announcement.

Durand earned his B.F.A. from San Francisco Art Institute and his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of California.