Our member colleges are spread across 8 unique regions. Select a region below to learn more about their leadership, priorities, goals, and the community colleges that make up each region.
Executive Director:
Blaine Smith
northstatecareers.org
There are 15 colleges in the North/Far North Region spreading their influence from Woodland at their southern end and all the way north to the Oregon border. Colleges in this region serve a mostly rural student population, and have large successful programs focused on Agriculture, Forestry, and Construction trades among others.
Vision for Success Goals
NFN Regional Goals
Co-Chair:
Rock Pfotenhauer
831.212.7207
Co-Chair:
Kit O’Doherty
650.274.5236
There are 28 colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area Region. This region may not have cover the largest land area but it serves more students than nearly all the others. Colleges in this region are working to build pathways for bay area students to advance in business & entrepreneurship, biotech, health, and global trade among many other areas.
Goal A: Provide pathways that enable all Bay Area students to find employment and advance to livable wages.
Goal B: Meet the needs of employers in the Bay Region for well-qualified candidates for positions that pay livable wages, particularly in labor market priority* areas.
Goal C: Ensure equity in participation, completion, and employment.
Chair: Dr. Jessica Grimes
jessica.grimes@crconsortium.com
There are 14 colleges in the Central Valley and Mother Lode Region impacting education in the center of California. Colleges in this region span from Ridgecrest in the southeast to Stockton in the northwest and focus on using data to reach the needs of their regional workforce. Popular programs include advanced manufacturing, health, and environmental technologies among others.
Chair:
Holly Nolan Chavez
Fiscal Agent Director:
Luann Swanberg
There are 8 colleges in the South Central Coast Region focused on serving local and regional industry needs with strengthened K-16 to CTE career pathways. Colleges in this region are focused on energy, construction & utilities sectors as well as global trade and information technology to name a few.
Dr. Narineh Makijan
Chair/Assistant Vice President
818.445.4750
There is a consortium of 19 community colleges, and their work extends beyond the borders of our campuses. They’re advocates of regional change, focused on opening doors for adult, disenfranchised, and incumbent workers; facilitating upskilling for the region’s existing labor force; expanding employment opportunities for students, and offering more highly trained candidates for employers.
Regional Plan 2023: https://losangelesrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LARC-Regional-Plan-Report-1-31.pdf
Los Angeles
Adriene “Alex” Davis, Ed.D.
Executive Director/Regional Chair
Orange County Regional Consortium (OCRC)
714.564.5575
Sarah Santoyo
Fiscal Agent Director
Orange County Regional Consortium (OCRC)
Host: Rancho Santiago CCD
(714) 480-7466
There are 10 colleges in the Orange County Region. The region has been described as an urban oasis, boasting the highest population of Southern California inhabitants at just over 57% of the 10 total counties that make-up its boundaries. Colleges in this region are focused on expanding opportunities for on the job training and emerging sectors in the life sciences, biotech, tourism, health, and advanced transportation and logistics along with many others.
The Orange County Regional Consortium (OCRC) consists of nine community colleges and one continuing education center across four community college districts, and serves as a regional framework for communicating, coordinating, collaborating, promoting and planning career and technical education, and workforce and economic development initiatives in the Orange County Region. The goal of the OCRC is to support the connection of individuals and the alignment of programs and curriculum to the needs of business & industry
Regional Collaboration/Coordination Objectives
Employer Engagement Regional Strategy
Develop and Support Career Pathways Program
Increase Middle-Skill, Industry-Valued Credentials
Target Unemployed and Low-Income Residents
Increase Completions, Graduation Rates, and Reduce Units
Employer Engagement Objectives
WBL, Apprenticeships, Internships, and Faculty Externships
Career Placement
Comprehensive Supports & Pathways, APL, and Articulation
Industry Training and Education
Orange
Chair:
Julie Pehkonen
951.222.8026
There are 12 colleges in the Inland Empire/Desert Region covering over 27,000 square miles and serving a diverse community of 4.4 million residents. The region is a hub for technology, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and transportation with their efforts focused on well articulated career pathways and students achieving economic prosperity. Colleges in this region are focused on advanced manufacturing, energy, business, and communication among others.
Goal A. Reinforce efforts to address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the region’s career education programs.
Goal B. Support relevant and valuable career education opportunities for students via distinct paths in K-12 and community college.
Goal C. Strengthen initiatives that facilitate student course and program completion in career education paths.
Goal D. Expand and enrich stakeholder relationships to support students’ transition into and progress within the labor market.
Chair:
Danene Brown, Ph.D.
danene.brown@gcccd.edu
There are 10 colleges in the San Diego/Imperial Region developing high level industry-education partnerships. Institutions in this region shape education from Carlsbad at the northern edge to Imperial in the east and the Mexican border to the south. Colleges in this region are focused on information and communication technologies as well as advanced manufacturing, health and biotech.
The San Diego & Imperial Counties Regional Consortium (SDIC RC) is comprised of 10-member Community Colleges, and is committed to providing leadership and guidance on regional career education initiatives that serve its members and stakeholders. Driven by an equity framework, we collaborate with educators, industry, and community partners to support students, develop and sustain a skilled workforce, and align to the needs of the regional ecosystem.
Employer engagement is central to aligning our programs of study with industry needs, providing work-based learning for our students and job placement opportunities for our students. All of our investments are grounded in data research.