President of the Board of Trustees Kenneth Brown died Thursday, March 23, according to an official email from the President of El Camino College Brenda Thames.

Brown has been a part of the Board of Trustees since 2010 when he was appointed to fill the vacant spot left by the late Nathaniel Jackson.

Brown has been heavily involved in the affairs of El Camino including equity goals for Black students, college diversity and a deep commitment to students amongst other achievements.

The college will fly the flags around campus at half-staff to honor Brown’s legacy.

The Union spoke to multiple members, past and present, of the Board of Trustees in which all expressed deep emotional sorrow for their colleague and friend.

Vice President of the Board of Trustees Trisha Murakawa said that she and Brown “were making good trouble, to truly help” with education and equity at the statewide level and at El Camino.

“We’re really gonna miss his leadership on the Board,” Murakawa said. “We’re gonna continue to do his work.”

John Vargas, a former Board of Trustees member, said that he and Brown spoke about the college together over the phone. He said that they were supposed to get together soon.

“Big loss for the campus, big loss for the community and his family… my heart breaks,” Vargas said. “He was a proud father.”

This is a developing story. Union editors Khoury Williams, Delfino Camacho and Union reporter Eddy Cermeno contributed to this report.