4:00pm | The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) over the weekend elected Roberto Uranga, a Long Beach Community College Trustee, as its chair-elect for the next calendar year. Uranga will serve as the first Latino chair of the organization.
“I’m extremely proud to have received this honor from an organization that advocates for our community colleges,” said Trustee Uranga. “I am humbled to be the first Latino to serve in this capacity, and honored to bring this recognition to Long Beach.”
Uranga is a longtime trustee at LBCC and last year launched a campaign to run for the April 2010 7th District City Council seat. His wife, Tonia Reyes Uranga, was about to be forced out of that very seat by term limits.
But when the ACCT came calling last October, Uranga accepted a position as Vice Chair of the organization with the promise of serving a one-year term and then being appointed Chair. Uranga said that the decision to drop out of the race was difficult, but that the opportunity presented by the ACCT was too good to pass up. “I think I can advance Long Beach and advance Long Beach City College at this level,” he told the lbpost.com at the time. Eventually, his wife re-entered the race and attempted to regain her City Council seat as a write-in candidate but lost in a run-off election to James Johnson.
Uranga has been a member of the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees since 2000. He served as President of the Board in 2002 and 2006. His current position as ACCT President is more important than ever, as the economic recession has increased the importance of community colleges to provide affordable and quality higher education.
“Trustee Uranga is a national leader in community college policy, and we are fortunate to have him as a member of our local governing board,” said LBCC President Eloy Ortiz Oakley. “I am sure he will bring the same level of passion that we have seen here in Long Beach to the Association of Community College Trustees.”