The Citrus College Board of Trustees on Nov. 14 hired three people to fill already and soon-to-be vacant administrative positions.
Citrus hired Elaine Lipiz Gonzalez to serve as dean of Counseling Programs and Services beginning Dec. 1, Jack Beckham as dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Online Education beginning Jan. 2, 2024, and Simone Brown Thunder as the executive director of Human Resources beginning Dec. 1, after Robert Sammis’ retirement.
In a memo to staff and faculty, superintendent/president Greg Schulz said Gonzalez attended the University of California Irvine, California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Fullerton, where she earned her doctorate in educational leadership.
Gonzalez worked as a program director at Cypress College and UC Irvine, was an adjunct counseling faculty at Santa Ana College and an instructor for Rancho Santiago Community College District School of Continuing Education and UC Irvine.
She spent seven years as dean of Student Support Services and the Title IX Coordinator at Fullerton College and had the opportunity to be the interim vice president of Student Services within that time span.
Schulz in the memo said Gonzalez, during her time at Fullerton, led the way for programs such as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, the Veterans Resource Center, CalWorks and more.
Beckham, the new dean of social and behavioral sciences and online education, was a first-generation college student and attended Bakersfield College, where he earned an associate degree in liberal arts.
Beckham also earned a bachelor’s degree in English and liberal studies from California State University, Bakersfield and his doctorate in English from the University of California, Riverside.
“With a resume robust in teaching experience, Beckham served first for several years as an adjunct professor followed by 15 years as a full-time, tenured faculty member in English,” Schulz said.
Beckham, who spent 12 years at Saddleback College, according to Schulz, has served in key leadership roles that include English Department chair, Composition and Writing Center coordinator, and interim dean of Liberal Arts.
Thunder, the new executive director of Human Resources, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in education.
Thunder, who is originally from Eureka, has worked with the Indian Health Service, a federal agency that supports tribes and health clinics in Sacramento. She is a member of the Karuk tribe of Native Americans in California.
According to Schulz in a memo, Thunder provides leadership as the district director of Human Resources Operations at the North Orange County Community College District, where she has served since 2018.
Schulz said Thunder has managed numerous human resources operations including talent acquisition, compensation/classification, performance management, employee services/relations, negotiations, position management, technology projects and reclassification processes.
Thunder performed human resources-related work at the University of Minnesota in which she focused on improving the hiring process and creating innovative strategies to increase the diversity of faculty and staff.
