September 08, 2025
Contact: Melissa Villarin
Office: 916-327-5365
Office E-mail: MVillarin@CCCCO.edu
System serving 2.1 million students unveils groundbreaking program to break down barriers to artificial intelligence education.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This week at the Futures Summit 2025, the California Community Colleges – the largest and most diverse higher education system in the country – will officially announce the launch of its Chancellor's Office AI Fellows program, a bold new initiative aligned with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide AI agenda and designed to make California the national leader in equitable AI education and workforce development.
The inaugural cohort of 13 AI Fellows will develop frameworks, guidelines, and resources that support the responsible adoption of AI technologies across all 116 colleges, which serve 2.1 million students and employ 88,000 professionals. Fellows will specialize in critical focus areas including AI assessment and learning analytics, AI infrastructure, AI professional development, AI research and innovation, AI student support services, AI in teaching and learning, and AI workforce development. The scale and scope of this initiative sets a new national benchmark for integrating artificial intelligence into public higher education and represents a powerful investment in California’s future workforce.
“Artificial intelligence will shape every aspect of our future—from how we work to how we live,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian. “We’re making sure every student in California, regardless of where they come from, has access to the skills and opportunities that will shape California’s future economy.”
The AI Fellows program is a cornerstone of Vision 2030, the California Community Colleges’ bold strategic plan. Designed to position the state’s community colleges as the national leader in AI education and workforce development, the program targets the educational pathway for millions of Americans seeking career training, professional development, and transfer opportunities. It also reflects a shared priority with the governor to integrate AI into public services and education to expand opportunity and drive inclusive economic growth.
“The AI Fellows Program is an important step in expanding California’s leadership in responsible AI innovation,” said California Government Operations Agency Secretary Nick Maduros. “Building on the state’s recent partnerships with Google, Adobe, IBM, and Microsoft, this initiative will help train our workforce and prepare students for high-paying careers in tech. By giving the next generation the tools and training they need, we’re investing in a future where all Californians can thrive in an AI-driven economy.”
Putting AI Within Reach for Every Student
The AI Fellows program deploys experts from industry giants and academic institutions into community colleges that serve predominantly working-class and minority populations, accelerating pathways to high-demand careers.
“We're bridging two worlds that rarely intersect at this scale,” said Christian. “These fellows are helping build a system where access to world-class AI education doesn’t depend on where you live or what school you attend.”
The cohort includes a former Meta technology innovator, a semiconductor industry electronic engineer, accomplished data scientists, STEM educators, and entrepreneurship professors. The fellows will work across disciplines from nursing and automotive technology to business and liberal arts, ensuring that AI literacy becomes embedded in career pathways rather than confined to computer science departments.
The program directly addresses mounting concerns about AI's potential to exacerbate educational and economic inequalities. By embedding AI literacy and tools into community college curricula, the initiative aims to ensure that technological advancement serves as an equalizing force rather than a dividing one.
A National Model for AI in Public Education
With community colleges serving 40% of all U.S. undergraduates, California’s approach offers a roadmap for how AI can be scaled equitably in public education across the country.
“This isn't about replacing human expertise,” emphasized Craig Hayward, visiting executive focused on Strategic Research and Innovative Design for the Chancellor’s Office. “It's about augmenting human capability and ensuring that every student graduates with the AI fluency that employers increasingly demand.”
As businesses across sectors report growing demand for AI-literate workers, California’s Community Colleges are democratizing access to AI education to fuel a stronger, more inclusive economy and creating new pathways to upward mobility for students across the state.
“This program represents the proactive approach California needs to not only support students during their time on campus but also equip them to launch and thrive in the future of work and society,” said California Competes CEO Su Jin Jez. “By investing in the educators and staff who power its institutions, the California Community Colleges affirms that its people and their diverse voices are central to student success and driving institutional change that fuels shared prosperity.”
Meet the Fellows
- Suha Aljuboori, Folsom Lake College
- Alicia Cardenas, West Valley College
- Gary Graves, Fullerton College
- Jacqueline Hester, San Diego Miramar College
- Scott James, Santiago Canyon College
- Donnell Layne, Moreno Valley College
- Par Mohammadian, Los Angeles Mission College
- Trudi Radtke, Moorpark College
- Rachel Tatro-Duarte, Porterville College
- John Tarantino, College of the Siskiyous
- Fabiola Torres, Glendale Community College
- Dominique Wu, Cañada College
- Hongling Yang, San Diego Community College District
The Chancellor's Office AI Fellows program is currently being implemented this semester, Fall 2025, offering a scalable model for how public institutions can prepare students for the next generation of jobs.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; and degree and certificate pathways. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision 2030, a strategic plan designed to improve student success, our communities and our planet. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
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