Dr. Robert E. Hirsch was appointed to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Board of Trustees in June. Hirsch, from Ocean Springs, represents Jackson County on the 23-member board.

The former superintendent for the Ocean Springs School District, Hirsch retired in 2012 after more than 40 years in education. He currently works as a fiction writer and columnist for the Ocean Springs Record newspaper and as a consultant for the Mississippi Department of Education.

A graduate of Cameron University in Oklahoma, Hirsch received his master’s degree in Education from The University of Southern Mississippi and his doctoral degree in education from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

He has served or currently serves on the Ocean Springs School District Long Range Planning Committee; the executive board of Ocean Springs Athletic Foundation; the YMCA board of directors (Gulf Coast Blossman Family Branch); the United Way for Jackson & George Counties executive board of directors; the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce education board; the Jackson County Underage Drinking Task Force; and as a mentor with the Camp Shelby Challenge Program.

MGCCC Board of Trustees members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors in each county in the college’s district of George, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties.