Antelope Valley Community College District’s Board of Trustees appointed an interim vice president of Human Resources and took no action on a controversial proposed interim executive vice president of Educational Services.
It approved the appointment of attorney Brittany Grice as interim vice president of Human Resources.
The Board voted 4-1 with Trustee Michael Rives dissenting, according to Board President Steve Buffalo, who announced the Board’s action.
Grice’s LinkedIn profile lists her as districtwide director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Los Angeles Community College District.
Multiple college employees expressed concern about the proposed appointment of the proposed interim executive vice president of Educational Services. They urged the Board not to take action on the interim appointment.
That is a new position under a proposed administrative reorganization. The reorganization is not yet complete. The position merges the former vice presidents of Academic Affairs and Students Services positions.
Those positions were filled until this past December when Isabelle Saber, assistant superintendent/vice president of Academic Affairs and Erin Vines, the assistant superintendent/vice president of Student Services, were placed on administrative leave. The reasons Saber and Vines were placed on administrative leave are confidential personnel matters and were not disclosed.
AV College Federation of Teachers President Aurora Burd expressed concern about the increased cost of consultants for the college over the past two years. She also urged the Board to have a call for applications and a full search process for such positions.
The proposed interim executive vice president of Educational Services, “is a unilateral change to working conditions and will lead to a demand to bargain from the federation,” Burd said. “I highly encourage the president and Board not to approve any kind of hire right now for this non-existent position and to postpone implementing any portion of this flawed reorganization.”
With Knudson set to retire at the end of June, Burd encouraged the Board to hold the items until a new administration is in place.
