Advisory Committee (EWDAC)

CSEA Area E Director
SCCCD District Enrollment Coordinator

With a career in California community colleges spanning more than three decades, Carmen Alessandro serves as a District Enrollment Coordinator with the State Center Community College District and holds a leadership role in the world’s largest association of classified school employees.

Carmen sits on the State Board of Directors of the California School Employees Association, which represents and advocates for a quarter million classified members in the State of California. Elected by her peers, Carmen is responsible for building programs in her Central California area that educate, engage, motivate and mobilize classified members to work towards improving the lives of their students, staff and communities. In her 32 years as a CSEA member, Carmen has held leadership roles in her local chapter as 1st Vice President, Site Vice President and Communications Officer. In 2005 she was appointed as a state officer and in 2017 assumed the position of Area E Director, for which she was reelected in both 2019 and 2021 to additional two-year terms.

She began her career in 1988 at Fresno City College as an entry-level Office Assistant I and over the years has advanced through Office Assistant II, Department Secretary and Student Services Specialist before her current position.

While working on the Fresno City College Campus, Carmen served on campus shared governance committees of the President’s Communication Council, Strategic Planning Committee, Shared Governance Committee, and part of the accreditation team on campus.

Labor - IBEW Local 551
Executive Director, North Bay Central Labor

Mr. Jack A. Buckhorn earned an Associate of Science degree from Santa Rosa Junior College. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the North Bay Labor Council, AFL-CIO and Chief Executive Officer of the North Bay Building and Construction Trades Council. Prior to working for the labor councils he served twelve years as the Business Manager and Financial Secretary for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 551. From 1989 to 1998, he was Training Director for the Redwood Empire Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Mr. Buckhorn serves on the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay Marin Advisory Committee; and has been appointed by the California Superintendent of Public Education to the California Apprenticeship Council.

College - MiraCosta CCD (Region E)
Superintendent/President Mira Costa College

Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke began her tenure as the superintendent/president of MiraCosta Community College District in 2015 and has been a recognized CA community college CEO for 13 years. She started as a Biology/Biotechnology faculty member and has been an educator for over 25 years after receiving her Ph.D. in Biology from Georgetown University.

Under her leadership, MiraCosta College has implemented new degrees and certificates including a unique biomanufacturing bachelor’s degree. Graduation and transfer rates have significantly improved, and the college has received recognition as an Achieving the Dream Leader College. In addition, its academic and student equity programs have been recognized by the statewide Academic Senate based upon collaborative support and outcomes for historically marginalized students.

Dr. Cooke has worked at local and state levels in economic and workforce development in Texas and California. In 2015, she chaired the Statewide Task Force on Workforce and a Strong Economy, ensuring that California state and the community college system remain vital leaders in this work. The work has resulted in an ongoing annual investment of approximately $248 million to enhance CA community college career education. She serves as a chair of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Strong Workforce Regional Oversight Committee overseeing planning efforts to meet the regional workforce needs over the past four years.

Dr. Cooke is an active member of the greater San Diego community and national boards, including the San Diego Regional Economic Development Council and its Inclusive Economic Development Steering Committee, Biocom, and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the board of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), and the National Academy of Sciences Board of Science Education.

California Edge Coalition
Executive Director, California EDGE Coalition

Zima Creason is a parent, advocate, and businesswoman. She serves as the Executive Director of the California EDGE Coalition and she was elected as a San Juan Unified School District Governing Board Member in 2018. At EDGE, she works to address the skilled workforce shortage, create pathways to the middle class, and to advance shared prosperity for all Californians. She is committed to stakeholder empowerment and coalition building to establish and sustain thriving communities. Zima has worked in the policy field since 2001 and much of her work has focused on equity as it relates to mental health policy as well as stakeholder outreach and engagement. She is dedicated to supporting people to avoid crisis outcomes, social justice, and for all Americans to have access and opportunity to achieve the American Dream regardless of their zip code, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, health/mental health status, gender identification and/or who they love.

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges
Treasurer/CTE Leadership Committee Chair

Mayra Cruz is committed to building a community where no one is hungry or homeless, and students are afforded equitable opportunities to succeed in work and life. Community colleges are the engine to the economic prosperity of our most vulnerable communities and positioned to reverse our deepening divides.

Mayra has been serving as a member of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) since 2018 in various capacities. This year, she is the Treasurer, Chair of the Career and Technical Education Leadership Committee, and second chair of the Educational Policies committee. At the state level, she is a member of the California Community Colleges Diversity Equity and Inclusion Workgroup, member of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Diversity Advisory Committee, member of Curriculum Committee(5Cs), member of the Credit for Prior Learning Administrative Team, and member of the Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (ICAS).

Mayra facilitates training and professional development and learning activities for ASCCC, with colleges and organizations locally and at the State level. The professional development training includes these topics: career and technical education, equity, diversity and inclusion, culturally responsive teaching, and leadership development.

Mayra serves as faculty of the De Anza College Child Development and Education Department. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s degree in Education from San Jose State University.

State Agency - State Board of Education
Deputy Executive Director

Patricia de Cos is the Deputy Executive Director at the California State Board of Education, where among other responsibilities, she works on K-12 education and workforce issues including as principal staff for the California Workforce Pathways Joint Advisory Committee. She was previously appointed to represent K-12 education on the Workforce, Job Creation, and Strong Economy Task Force as well as on the State Team for the development of California’s Workforce Development Plan under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

College - Fresno City College (Region C)
President, Fresno City College

Dr. Carole Goldsmith has been recognized as an expert on workforce development, community collaboration, and career technical education. She believes that great cities include high performing education systems and understands the importance of education in providing opportunity to change lives and communities.

Dr. Goldsmith has spent over 20 years in a variety of educational leadership roles, currently as President of Fresno City College. Before taking the helm at FCC in August 2016, she served as President of West Hills College Coalinga. Other positions she has held include Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Workforce Development; a K-12 teacher at a small rural school; and as an administrator at an adult school and at a private post-secondary college. She still visits the classroom as an adjunct professor. In 2011, she led the Central California Community Colleges Committed to Change Consortium (C6) $19.9 million Federal TAACCCT grant educational reform efforts that put hundreds of Valley residents back to work.

Dr. Goldsmith has served on a number of state and local boards. She served on the Board of Governors Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation and a Strong Economy and was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and reappointed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. to serve on the Board of Directors of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.

Dr. Goldsmith is the recipient of the Mariann Loniello Award from the California Community College Association of Community and Continuing Education acknowledging her work in economic development; was recognized by CSU alumni association Working for California initiative for her advancement of workforce education; and has received outstanding alumna recognition from Fresno State.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State, a master’s degree from National University and a Doctorate of Education from the Joint Doctorate program offered by Fresno State and and University of California, Davis.

President and CEO
California Manufacturers & Technology Association

Lance Hastings currently serves as President and CEO of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA), having assumed the role in November 2018. In that capacity, he leads a prominent business-oriented trade association with a legacy of success and engagement.

Prior to joining CMTA, he served as Vice President of National Affairs for MillerCoors. During his 15 years with the brewing industry, Hastings served in state, regional, national and international capacities. His international experience was as Head of Regulatory and Tax Affairs for SABMiller located in London, England from 2012-2015.

Before his extensive career as a manufacturing executive, Hastings was the Vice President of Government Relations at the California Grocers Association and Senior Director for State Affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers of America. Hastings also served as legislative staff in the California State Legislature for almost a decade, concluding as a Chief Consultant in 1997.

Lance is a graduate of California State University at Sacramento with a BA in Economics and Minor in Government.

CBO - Young Invincibles
Executive Director Arts for LA

Gustavo was appointed as Arts for LA’s Executive Director in December 2018. Most recently, Gustavo served as the Western Regional Director for Young Invincibles (YI), where he set strategic direction and advanced YI’s policy priorities on health care, higher education, jobs, and civic engagement for the region. Prior to his policy advocacy role, Gustavo was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LAPCA), overseeing the day-to-day operation of a county museum, including the oversight of a master plan committee responsible for strategically developing three acres of additional museum campus. From 2010-2012, Gustavo led the Maestro Foundation, a classical music and performance arts foundation. Between 2007-2010, he assessed and recommended business growth strategies in the US marketplace for the global Fortune 500 Company, American Honda Motors, Co.

Gustavo holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from American Jewish University and a dual Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies with an emphasis in socio-politics and economics and Art History from the University of California Santa Barbara. Gustavo serves on the Board of Directors of California Forward and Mt. San Antonio College Foundation. He is an Advisory Board Member for the California Physician’s Alliance and the American Jewish University MBA Program.

College - Los Rios CCD (Region A)
hancellor, Los Rios CCD

Brian King currently has served as Chancellor for the four colleges in the Los Rios Community College District since 2013. Los Rios is one of the largest and most diverse districts in California. The District includes American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom Lake and Sacramento City colleges, and currently enrolls approximately 77,000 students each semester.

King is the current Chair of the Valley Vision Board of Directors and a member of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council Board of Directors, the Align Capital Region Executive Committee, the Sacramento Metro Chamber Board, the Dignity Health Sacramento Service Area Community Board, the Los Rios Foundation Board, the Wells Fargo Community Advisory Board, and the Comstock’s Magazine Editorial Board.

Business - Kiva (Business and Entrepreneurship)
Entrepreneur & Community Builder

Brian McKeown is an award-winning micro-finance innovator at Kiva (2015-2018), and entrepreneurship education developer with OCCUR (2019-2020), consultant, and two-decade-long social and economic justice advocate living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brian is a two-time food and hospitality entrepreneur. Brian graduated from San Francisco State University in 2001 with a bachelors-in-science in entrepreneurship and small business management. Brian received a certificate in executive management microfinance from the Grameen Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2008. Brian is currently enrolled in a masters-in-business management program at the University of the People.

Brian has served Bay Area communities and the state of California in a variety of roles and board positions, including: as an organizational ambassador for Earned Asset Resource Network (EARN) in San Francisco (2014); an Economic Development Commissioner (2015-2017), and Loan Fund Board Member for the city of Richmond (2017-2020); East Oakland Entrepreneurship Forum founder in Oakland (2017-2020); founding board member of Friends of the Public Bank East Bay (2019-present); and as the state of California’s Education and Workforce Development Advisory Committee (EDWAC) entrepreneurship statewide representative (2016-present).

College - Foothill- DeAnza CCD (Region B)
Chancellor, Foothill-DeAnza CCD

Since 2015, Judy C. Miner has been chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, which is headquartered in Los Altos Hills, California. She has worked as a higher education administrator since 1977 and in the California Community Colleges since 1979. She has held numerous administrative positions in instruction, student services, and human resources at City College of San Francisco, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, De Anza College, and most recently at Foothill College where she served as president from 2007 to 2015. She earned her B.A., summa cum laude, in history and French at Lone Mountain College in San Francisco; her M.A. in history at that same college; and her Ed.D. in organization and leadership (with a concentration in education law) from the University of San Francisco. She also holds honorary degrees from Imperial Valley College (CA) and Palo Alto University (CA).

Small Business - Jackson Street Partners
President, Jackson Street Partners, Dover Corporation Chair, UpMetrics

Roslyn B. Payne is the President of Jackson Street Partners, Ltd., and Dover Corporation. Roslyn gained appreciation of the regulatory environment when she was CEO of a federally sponsored enterprise created to manage assets during the savings and loan crisis. Today she is a private investor, and a real estate advisor to the University of Washington and University of California, Berkeley. She is the former Chair of the Bond Oversight Committee for the San Francisco Unified School District. Advocating for public health, she is a member of Parents Against Vaping and e cigarettes, and founded a cross discipline program between the Harvard Business School and Harvard Chan School of Public Health, where she continues on the Board of Dean’s Advisors. In 2017, in an effort to leverage data and storytelling to drive outcomes, UpMetrics, an analytics and data services company was created to support the social sector. Roslyn serves as Chair.

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, she is a graduate of the University of Michigan (BBA) and Harvard Business School (MBA).

Business - Info Computer Technology
Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Networking Academy

Laura Quintana joined Cisco in 1999 and is currently Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Manager of Networking Academy, Cisco’s largest and longest-running Corporate Social Responsibility program. She leads a global organization of teams based in 50 countries, including strategy, product management, product development, global field, and operational service teams.

Laura and her team doubled the size of the Networking Academy over the past 3 years, and it now trains more than 1.8 million students annually (10.8 million since inception) in 180 countries with an annual in-kind contribution valued at over $300 million USD.

Laura drives partnerships with governments, academic institutions, and nonprofits to prepare students to participate in today’s digital workforce and to connect them to career opportunities. Through Laura’s leadership, Networking Academy has become a critical part of country digital readiness, working with ministries of education around the world to further national digital agendas and develop the human capital necessary to support country transformation.

Prior to her current role, Laura successfully completed Cisco’s multi-year commitment to the Jordan Healthcare Initiative. She strategically collaborated with the Government of Jordan and was instrumental in driving tele-medicine, clinical collaboration, and tele-radiology projects that enabled quality healthcare services and benefited over 175,000 patients.

Previously, Laura held a variety of director-level roles within Cisco’s services organization. Before joining Cisco, Laura served in leadership positions for eleven years with Hewlett-Packard within Product Management and Operations, including a three-year assignment in Grenoble, France.

Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University. She was recognized by the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) as one of the top 100 most influential and notable Hispanic Professionals in the Information Technology Industry; receiving HITEC Top 100 awards for 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. She is fluent in Spanish and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their three children.

State Agency - Workforce Development Board (WIOA)
Executive Director

Tim Rainey is the Executive Director of the California Workforce Development Board, having been appointed by Governor Brown on November 22, 2011. As required by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the State Board is responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system.

Previously, Mr. Rainey was the Director of the Workforce and Economic Development Program (WED) of the California Labor Federation, where he was responsible for policy development at the state and local levels, and brokering industry-based training partnerships among unions, employers, community organizations, education, and public workforce agencies.

Mr. Rainey was also the Policy Director for the California Workforce Association, where he advocated on behalf of Local Workforce Development Boards in legislative, policy, and administrative deliberations in Sacramento and Washington DC.

Prior to joining CWA, Mr. Rainey was a consultant to the Senate Democratic Caucus of the California State Senate. Mr. Rainey is a co-founder and executive committee member of the EDGE Campaign, member of the California Apollo Alliance Steering Committee, and serves on several other committees and commissions related to workforce and economic development.

College - Los Angeles Community College District

Appointed in 2014, Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D., is the Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, the largest community college district in the nation with nine, fully accredited colleges, more than 230,000 students enrolled annually.

From 2003-2014, Dr. Rodriguez served as President of Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, California, and Superintendent/President of MiraCosta Community College District. Dr. Rodriguez attended the University of California, Davis, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Chicano studies and his master's degree in community development. He received his Ph.D. in education from Oregon State University. Dr. Rodriguez is a first-generation, English-language learner, and proud son of immigrant factory workers.

CBO - CALED
President & CEO - CA Association for Local Economic Development and Executive Director - CA Academy for Economic Development

Gurbax Sahota is a thoughtful leader who believes in the importance and need to collaborate and create meaningful partnerships in order to accomplish the goal of creating healthy, wealthy communities. She turns this belief into action by bringing together and leading multiple organizations aligned with the goal of helping businesses thrive in California. Gurbax holds senior positions with the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), the California Academy for Economic Development, and the California Enterprise Development Authority.

As President & CEO of CALED, she is focused on creating strategic partnerships to promote the value of economic development and create a stronger voice for economic developers at the state and local level. Additionally, having raised funds and created sustainable financial practices for all three organizations, she has laid a strong foundation for CALED to continue to provide services and benefits to economic developers across the state.

College - San Antonio College (Region F)
President & CEO Mt. San Antonio College

Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, Dr. Scroggins returned “home” to become Mt. San Antonio College’s ninth president on July 1, 2011. Bill has collegially engaged the entire Mt. SAC community in successfully meeting the fiscal challenges of the recession and has led the college to stay at the cutting edge of the state’s new initiatives as the economic recovery brings new resources to community colleges.

Dr. Scroggins has amassed 45 years of experience in higher education – 27 of those as a chemistry professor and 18 as an administrator. Prior to coming to Mt. SAC, Dr. Scroggins served as Superintendent/President of College of the Sequoias in Visalia for five years.

Dr. Scroggins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at UCLA and a doctorate in chemistry at UC Riverside. He is a prolific author, having published three books in the field of chemistry and penned innumerable articles and papers.

Bill is active in the community and professionally. He is on the Board of Directors for the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership as well as the California STEM Learning Network and is a member of Covina Rotary.

Federal Agency - US Dept of Commerce (Global Trade)
Special Advisor

Senior Advisor to the Pacific South Region, based in Irvine, Ca which includes California, Nevada, and Hawaii, and one of 8 regions within U.S. Operations, U.S. Commercial Service, Global Markets, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Richard served 15 months on a detail to the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Operations, U.S. Commercial Service, Global Markets unit in the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Richard focused on national events including the Women’s Global Trade Empowerment Forum (WGTEF), the SME Multilateral Development Bank Initiative, the Events Task Force Strategic Project Fund, New Commercial Officer Training, and other national projects.

Richard’s experience also includes 12 plus years as Regional Director of Pacific South Region based in Irvine, Ca.. He oversaw 10 offices in Nevada, California and Hawaii, including Guam and other U.S. territories, through a network of industry, tradecraft, and regional specialists within U.S. Export Assistance Centers in major metro economic areas.

Mr. Swanson has worked with the US & FCS for 29 years and started as an unpaid intern back in February of 1990 through a co-op work experience program as part of the Certificate in International Business at Coastline Community College. Mr. Swanson holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Cal State Fullerton in Int’l Business w/a minor in Spanish and a Masters of Public Administration in local economic development from Long Beach State. He has been an adjunct professor at Cal State University system for a number of years teaching international business.

Richard has been to many industry-related domestic and international trade events in the United States, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Mr. Swanson served as acting Senior Commercial Attaché for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel in 2001. Richard has been a global team leader for the ICT sector and Europe teams, respectively. He has also served on the Aerospace and Education & Training teams as well. Richard received the Commerce Department’s Bronze Award in 2006 for his work on “Imagine Asia” with the entertainment industry and Hong Kong. Recently, Richard’s team in Southern California produced one of the most successful exporting conferences entitled “Discover Global Markets: Pacific Rim Consumers” in Orange County, Ca, October 29-30, at the Costa Mesa Hilton. Record numbers of Pac Rim buying delegations from 12 countries participated with over 400 attendees.

Business - Outhink/MediaMobz (Digital Entertainment)
Co-founder, Chairman, CEO, Gig Economy Group

Dave was exposed to the ARPANET in the 70’s at UCSB, helped develop some of the most advanced technologies and factories as the electronics industry was built out. Several Boards of public, private, educational, foundations and non-profits. CEO of GaSonics, a microelectronics company, grew the team, organization and products, took it public and sold the company in 2001. Dave started Outhink a business transformation foundry that introduced some of the first cloud, social networking, real time communications technologies in 12 months in 2002. Now he runs The Gig Economy Group, building AI driven pathways to deliver successful Stakeholder outcomes.

President, CTE Council for the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)

Tracey Vackar brings a expertise in developing innovative workforce education and economic development programs for K-14 for the past 25 years. She is an elected trustee in the Inland Empire for over 28 years and is elected to the Riverside Community College District (RCCD) where she serves on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) organization as their representative to the EWDAC. Previously, she served for more than 22 years on the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Education. Ms. Vackar attended Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale, where she earned Bachelor of Science Degree in Workforce Education and holds a M.S. Ed in Administration Leadership from California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB). She proudly serves as the Executive Director for College, Careers and Economic Development in the Fontana Unified School District.

Ms. Vackar’s work is well known throughout California and the United States for leading Guided Pathway initiatives, dual enrollment, articulation, industry certifications, apprenticeship models and K-12 routes for College and Career Readiness, and adult education. Her work and advocacy have been recognized by many organizations and legislative leaders for her dedication in “Preparing Students Today for the Technology Careers of Tomorrow”. She continues to promote access and economic equity for all students by introducing them to career skilled pathways that promotes high quality careers and economic stability. Ms. Vackar recognizes the importance of inspiring the next generation of educational leaders and serves at CSUSB as part-time faculty member in the Career Technical Education (CTE) credential, Bachelor and Master degree programs. She understands the importance of collaboration and best practices and serves as the President of the CTE Council for the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).

Chancellor
Santa Clarita Community College District/College of the Canyons

Dr. Dianne Van Hook is in her 32nd year of service as CEO of the Santa Clarita Community College District and College of the Canyons, the fastest growing community college district in the nation and one of the three fastest growing community college districts in California for each of the last 20 years.

Dr. Van Hook is resourceful and a strong and consistent advocate for community colleges at the state and national levels. She has served as president of the Community College League of California (CCLC) Board of Directors; President of the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges (CEOCCC); and President of the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA).

Her leadership has garnered wide recognition, including the Five Star Leader Award from the Community College League of California; the Harry Buttimer Distinguished Administrator Award from the Association of California Community Colleges Administrators; the Presidential Leadership Award from the Network of California Community College Foundations; and The North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development (NCSPOD) President’s Award; Boy Scouts of America – Leaders of Character Honoree; the Betty Ferguson Foundation Woman of Honor; the Fifth Supervisorial District Los Angeles County Woman of the Year; a national leadership award from Phi Theta Kappa, the community college honor society; and Newsmaker of the Year Award by the Santa Clarita Valley Press Club; the No. 1 Most Influential Person in the Santa Clarita Valley’s Top 51 by The Signal; the SCV Business Journal’s Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award; Single Mothers Outreach Empowering Hearts Iconic Woman Honoree; the SCVi Vision in Education Award; and the SCV Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Van Hook’s commitment to Santa Clarita also includes past service as a board member of the Red Cross; SCV Education Foundation; the SCV Fine Arts Council; the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Governance Committee; the Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer; and, chairing the United Way Executive Cabinet. She currently serves as a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and as a founder of the Santa Clarita Valley’s Economic Development Corporation.

As demonstrated throughout her trail-blazing career, Dr. Van Hook is a builder of places, community, resources, possibilities, partnerships, opportunities, and most importantly, people. She sees in others what they do yet see in themselves, and helps them achieve their full potential. Her leadership has not only shaped the Santa Clarita Community College District/College of the Canyons, but also the Santa Clarita Valley, and by extension, the more than 250,000 students who have counted on College of the Canyons to deliver life-changing access to higher education.

CBO - CAFWB
Chief Executive Officer for CA

Dr. Weinberg is Chief Executive Officer for CA Fwd. This cross-sector civic leadership group is committed to producing prosperity for all Californians in all of the state's regions and to improving government performance and accountability.

Prior to joining CA Fwd, Dr. Weinberg was President of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the leading think tank focused on the most critical economic and policy issues facing the Silicon Valley/San Francisco region, and was a Senior Research Fellow at New America.

Dr. Weinberg’s writing has appeared in diverse outlets from the New York Times to Policy Studies Journal, and he has appeared on Fox News and NPR.

Dr. Weinberg’s work focuses on increasing the dynamism, resilience and inclusiveness of communities in California and throughout the nation and world. This requires all people to have access to the building blocks of the California Dream including economic opportunity, health and wellbeing, affordable transportation, housing and lifelong education, and a healthy environment.

He holds a doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with honors from Princeton University with a degree in Politics. He serves on the Board of the American Cancer Society for the Greater Bay Redwood Region and the Advisory Boards of the Insure the Uninsured Project, Hamilton Families, Rise Together Bay Area and Covered California for Small Business. He lives in lovely Oakland California with his wife and son.