8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Sunset Foyer

Registration

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Sunset Ballroom B

Breakfast

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Welcome Remarks

• Mr. Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, NALEO Educational Fund

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Session I:

Cultivating Higher Education for a Strong Economy: Understanding the California Landscape

California’s economic power has traditionally been linked to the state’s three-tiered public higher education system, in which its 145 postsecondary institutions have operated as regional innovation and job creation hubs. However, the Public Policy Institute of California projects that by 2030, California will face a shortfall of 1.1 million graduates needed in the labor market if current graduation rates remain stagnant. With more than one million Latinos currently enrolled in postsecondary institutions across the state, it is evident that the future of the state’s economic prosperity is dependent on institutions being able to increase the number of Latino graduates who are prepared to meet the changing demands of the 21st Century. This session provided participants with an update on current efforts being led by the state’s legislative body, and all three systems of higher education that aim to close the degree attainment gap and prepare our future educated workforce.

Session Chair: Mr. Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, NALEO Educational Fund

• Dr. Hans Johnson, Director and Senior Fellow, Higher Education Center, Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Hon. Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor, California Community Colleges
AUDIO

• Mr. Jason Constantouros, Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst, Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

Additional Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Session II:

Strengthening Shared Leadership to Increase Student Success in Higher Education

Today’s changing economic environment demands innovative and effective education policymaking and implementation from all levels of government in higher education. In addition, understanding the landscape of postsecondary institutions and the role of the chief executive officer, the academic senate, as well as the leadership roles of administrators and staff is important to ensure that a college’s shared governance structure thrives to serve its diverse student body. This session equipped policymakers with data trends on the diversity make-up of various leadership roles in institutions of higher education and highlighted governing strategies that support institution-wide policies and practices that promote student success in the classroom and beyond.

Session Chair: Hon. Monica C. Lozano, Board Regent, University of California Board of Regents

• Ms. Michele Siqueiros, President, The Campaign for College Opportunity
Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

• Ms. Susanna Cooper, Managing Director, Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research, School of Education, University of California, Davis
PRESENTATION | Resource: 1

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom B

Luncheon Program

Special Remarks
• Dr. Daniel Greenstein, Director of Education, Postsecondary Success, U.S. Programs, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Census 2020 Policy Update
• Mr. Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, NALEO Educational Fund
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

Additional Resources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Session III:

Why Financial Aid Matters in Promoting College Access and Completion

As college prices continue to be on the rise, students and their families are facing unprecedented challenges in financing the cost to complete a postsecondary degree. Despite these obstacles, students and their families continue to invest in higher education because it serves as a vehicle for social and economic mobility. Although federal, state, and institutional financial aid policies and investments demonstrate a commitment to higher education and in developing the future workforce, a wide range of affordability challenges still hinder students’ ability to attain a postsecondary degree. In this session, policymakers received an overview of California’s funding streams and explored promising approaches that facilitate degree completion at the institutional level.

• Ms. Laura Szabo-Kubitz, Associate California Program Director, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)
PRESENTATION | AUDIO | Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

• Ms. Lupita Cortez Alcalá, Executive Director, California Student Aid Commission
PRESENTATION | AUDIO | Resources: 1 | 2 (Spanish)

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Session IV:

Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates: Exploring Guided Pathways

In most institutions of higher education, students are left to navigate a complex array of student support services and academic programs to successfully attain a postsecondary degree. Oftentimes many students become discouraged and drop out because they do not see a clear path to meet their goals of attaining a postsecondary degree. Therefore, many states have begun to explore implementing the Guided Pathways Model. This approach calls for institutions of higher education to restructure academic and career pathways at a systemic scale that lead to students’ end goals of transfer and college completion. To build the institutional capacity needed to implement this model, policymakers and institutional leaders must collaborate and partner to “redesign” their institutions at all levels. This session provided an overview of the guided pathways approach and highlighted early findings from institutions implementing these reforms aiming to create clearer paths to student success.

Session Chair: Hon. Sonia Lopez, Community College Board Trustee, Compton Community College District

• Dr. Darla M. Cooper, Interim Executive Director, Director of Research and Evaluation, The RP Group

• Dr. Sonya Christian, Chair, California Guided Pathways Project; President, Bakersfield College
PRESENTATION | Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Closing Remarks

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Carlsbad Foyer/Terrace

Opening Reception

Hosts:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
State Farm™

Co-Host
Advance America

Opening Reception Patrons:
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Walmart

Opening Reception Supporters:
Microsoft
Shell Oil Company

Sponsor Resources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Sunset Foyer

Registration

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Sunset Ballroom B

Breakfast

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Session V:

The Economic Importance of a College Education: Building Partnerships to Drive Social Mobility Forward

To adapt to rapidly-changing demands of current and emerging work sectors, institutions of higher education need agility and flexibility to respond to a changing workforce market landscape.  In July 2013, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill 86, which established the California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT).  The initiative funded new regional consortia led by various stakeholders to establish career pathway programs intended to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage jobs in emerging and growing industry sectors in their regional economies.  To sustain this regional cooperation, California’s community colleges have received $200 million under the Strong Workforce Program, an initiative designed to expand career technical education programs for postsecondary students.  This session provided an overview of these programs and explored its role and effectiveness in aligning various stakeholder goals and processes in order to develop industry-informed career pathways that prepare students for the workforce.

Session Chair: Dr. Francisco C. Rodriguez, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District; President, California Association of Latino Community College Trustees and Administrators

• Mr. Javier Romero, Dean, Division of Workforce and Economic Development, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
AUDIO

• Dr. Alma Salazar, Board Member, California Workforce Development Board; Senior Vice President, Center for Education Excellence and Talent Development, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

Additional Resource: 1

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom A

Session VI:

Data Driven Decision Making: Using Labor Market Data to Improve Student Success

To increase the number of postsecondary degree holders with workforce market value, policymakers collect and analyze data to better inform how to allocate resources to increase the economic competitiveness of their students. This type of labor market data driven decision-making is more important than ever as policymakers are responsible for making institutional investments that also align around the growth of their local economies. While policymakers agree that data can play an important role in aligning institutional resources and determining programmatic changes, it can be difficult to determine which data are available and how they should be used to prioritize regional sector needs. In this session, participants were provided with an overview of data trends that inform how various partners identify and forecast job sector growth to better target workforce incentive funds and allocate institutional resources that increase the success of all students.

Session Chair: Hon. Nora Vargas, Community College Board Trustee, Southwestern Community College District; Board Member, NALEO

• Mr. Rock Pfotenhauer, Chair, Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC)
PRESENTATION

• Mr. Randal Tillery, Project Director, Workforce Systems, WestEd
PRESENTATION

Additional Resources: 1 | 2

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sunset Ballroom B

Luncheon Program

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Policy Update

• Ms. Shiu-Ming Cheer, Senior Staff Attorney and Field Coordinator, National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
PRESENTATION | Resource: 1 | 2 (Spanish) | 3 | 4 | 5

• Mr. Apolonio Morales, Political Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
PRESENTATION

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Carlsbad Room

Session VII:

Opportunities Beyond WIOA: Leading Through Regional Collaboration and Systems Alignment

The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires that regional partners strategically plan and coordinate the implementation of workforce and education services to better align investment decisions that drive workforce outcomes. While regional partnerships that bring cross-institutional and sector coordination are promising strategies that can increase the economic mobility of students, there are many challenges that prevent coordinated alignment. In this session, participants explored strategies focused on student outcomes and employment needs to support the leadership development and capacity needed to coordinate regional efforts aimed to strengthen tomorrow’s workforce.

Session Chair: Hon. Dante Acosta, California State Assemblymember; Member, Select Committee on Growing Jobs in the San Fernando Valley; Board Member, NALEO

• Mr. Jose Anaya, Dean, Community Advancement and Business Training Center, El Camino College
PRESENTATION

• Mr. Jan Vogel, Executive Director, South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB)
PRESENTATION

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Carlsbad Room

Session VIII:

From the Classroom to Industry: A Discussion on the Future of California’s Workforce

California’s higher education system is a driver for the progress and prosperity of the state’s economy. As the state’s economic and labor markets continue to change, education policymakers along with key stakeholders can work collaboratively to ensure that all students are ready to meet workforce and labor demands. This final session offered policymakers with the opportunity to engage in a thoughtful discussion with key stakeholders from the various sectors to reflect on topics/sessions presented throughout the Policy Institute and explore actionable leadership opportunities to ensure students are equipped to meet the demands of a 21st Century.

• Hon. Nick DePorter, Senior U.S. Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager, LinkedIn; Councilmember, Town of Fountain Hills, Arizona
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Ms. Amy Wallace, Vice President, Global Philanthropy, Northern California Relationship Manager, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
PRESENTATION | AUDIO

• Mr. Philip Serghini, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations, Walmart
AUDIO

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Carlsbad Room

Closing Remarks