New Internal Auditor and Controller Hired to Oversee City College Finances
By Loretta Bonifacio
During a Nov. 12 meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a recommendation to hire David James as the College’s new executive internal auditor and controller.
James will join the Office of Internal Control and Audit, where he will be responsible for performing an ongoing, exhaustive review of the College’s contracts and finances.
His hiring coincides with the Board of Trustees’ multi-year plan to restore stability to the College by restructuring budget allocations.
Interim Chancellor Rajen Vurdien submitted the administrative hiring recommendation for James, who is a certified public accountant. Hiring an auditor and controller was an immediate priority for Interim Chancellor Vurdien, who vowed to meet this goal by the end of the year or resign.
Trustee Alex Randolph motioned to approve the recommendation, which Trustee Ivy Lee seconded. They expressed collective gratitude to Interim Chancellor Vurdien over the appointment because “the hiring is something the previous administration was not able to accomplish or did not want to accomplish,” Trustee Randolph said.
For two years, Trustee Lee advocated for the hiring of an auditor before Chancellor Vurdien joined the Board of Trustees. “It shouldn’t have been this difficult to get this expertise,” Trustee Lee added. “If we had this person on staff previously, I do think that some of the costly errors that were made could have been prevented.”
“I’m really hopeful that because Mr. James is here, we’ll save some money,” Trustee Lee added.
Chief of Staff at the Office of the Chancellor Leslie Milloy, and Dianna Gonzales, Deputy Chancellor of Human Resources, Compliance, Risk Management, and Safety, were unresponsive when reached for comment regarding James’ hiring.
James previously worked with the San Bernardino Community College District as the Director of the Internal Audit and Advisory Services department. His duties are effective as of Dec. 1.
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