Says He’s Ready to Bring Long Beach’s Community Colleges into the 21st Century

Long Beach, CA — Uduak-Joe Ntuk will take his oath of office as a member of the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees, representing District Area 1, at a swearing-in ceremony for newly-elected and appointed trustees for the 2018-2022 term. 

Elected with 56.8 percent of the vote on April 10, 2018, Ntuk is the first African-American male elected to serve on the board of trustees since the college’s founding. 

“I’m honored to be representing Uptown Long Beach on the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees,” stated Ntuk. “When I earned my AA degree from Long Beach City College, it was my springboard into higher education and professional career as an engineer and professor. "I am committed to ensuring that every student has that same type of opportunity, access to high-quality public education, good-paying careers, and upward mobility in the 21st Century economy. I’m looking forward to collaborating with my fellow trustees on innovative ideas to improve student success and increase enrollment.”

Ntuk is looking forward to bringing his experience as a faculty member at Cal State University Long Beach, an administrator for the City of Los Angeles, and an alumnus of Long Beach’s community colleges to his role as a trustee. He will prioritize the college’s budget, student equity, restoring vocational training, and working in partnership with city and school district leaders to help better serve the Uptown Long Beach community.

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About Uduak-Joe Ntuk 

Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk proudly represents Uptown Long Beach on the Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees. Elected in 2018, he is the first African-American male elected to serve since the college’s founding. 

Uduak-Joe is the son of a Nigerian Immigrant and the grandson a naval flight deck captain stationed at the Long Beach Naval Base. A third-generation resident, he attended St. Barnabas Elementary School and St. Anthony High School before pursuing higher education at Long Beach City College.

Earning his Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Arts at LBCC opened the doors for Uduak-Joe to further his education and pursue a career in engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at California State University, Long Beach and his Master of Science in Engineering at the University of Southern California.

He currently serves as the Director of Petroleum Administration for the City of Los Angeles, where he is responsible for setting energy and environmental policy as well as providing technical advice to the Mayor, City Council, and various city departments. He also represents the City of Los Angeles on the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Multiple Air Toxic Exposure Study (MATES V) Technical Advisory Group and on the Baldwin Hills Community Standards District Advisory Panel for the Inglewood Oil Field. Before this position, Uduak-Joe worked in both the public and private sectors, including at three Fortune 500 companies.

Committed to educating the next generation of engineers, he shares his expertise as a faculty member in the Chemical Engineering Department at California State University, Long Beach.

Uduak-Joe Ntuk served two terms as a Personnel Commissioner at the Long Beach Community College District, which administers the Merit System of equal opportunity employment for the district's classified employees. 

He and his wife, Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, are raising their children in the Bixby Knolls Neighborhood of Uptown Long Beach.