A Data System for All Californians with Mary Ann Bates

We’re excited to bring you Crystal Clear: A Vision for the Future of California Higher Ed, a new season of Degrees of Change marking our organization’s 15th anniversary—our crystal anniversary.

Throughout this season, we'll delve into some of the toughest issues facing higher education: college affordability, artificial intelligence, the pathways between education and work, supporting underserved students and prospective students like those with children, workers in low-wage jobs, and other underserved and often unseen populations, along with using data to drive equitable outcomes and more.

For our first episode, California Competes CEO Su Jin Jez sits down with Mary Ann Bates, Executive Director of California's Office of Cradle-to-Career Data (C2C)—an initiative linking data across education, workforce, and social services to reveal pathways, outcomes, and opportunity gaps across the state.

Key Topics

• What California's data landscape looked like before C2C—and the vision for something better
• Real examples of how linked data helps answer questions that were previously impossible to tackle
• Why a community co-design approach, rooted in a "listen first, then build" mentality, has been foundational to creating a truly useful resource
• Where the C2C data system is headed and its potential to transform education and workforce outcomes

Our Guest

Mary Ann Bates is the Executive Director of California's Office of Cradle-to-Career Data (C2C). C2C links data across California's education, workforce, and social service agencies to provide a clearer picture of pathways, outcomes, and equity gaps. It offers transparent, actionable insights that help policymakers, educators, and communities understand what works—and importantly, for whom.

Prior to leading C2C, Mary Ann served as a senior fellow in the White House Office of Management and Budget, and prior to that served as the Executive Director of the North America Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which aims to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.

In This Episode

• Higher Ed RISE (Higher Education Research Informing Solutions for Excellence): https://californiacompetes.org/higher-ed-rise/
• CalKIDS College Savings Program: https://calkids.org/
• California Labor & Workforce Development Agency: https://www.labor.ca.gov/
• CalFresh (California SNAP Program): https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh
• Medi-Cal (California Medicaid Program): https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal

Stay Connected

• Subscribe to Degrees of Change on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
• Sign up to receive updates.
• Follow California Competes on LinkedIn.

Dr. Jennifer Delaney joins the final episode of the first season of Degrees of Change to unpack how California finances its higher education system and what that means for students, institutions, and the state’s future. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Delaney explores California’s mix of institutional appropriations and student aid, the effects of funding volatility and misaligned budget cycles, and the ways in which long-standing policies such as Proposition 98 shape resource distribution across the University of California, California State University, and the community colleges. She also reflects on how today’s diverse student population no longer aligns with the assumptions baked into the 1960 Master Plan.

Key Topics

• Why the current system reinforces stratification among institutions and students
• How Proposition 98 protects community colleges while leaving CSU and UC more exposed to cuts
• What equity-based funding models could mean for California’s future

Our Guest, Dr. Jennifer Delaney

Dr. Delaney is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Education, and a national expert on higher education finance. Her research examines how states fund their public universities, focusing on funding volatility, policy effectiveness, and the fiscal relationships between governments and institutions. Dr. Delaney also served on the Illinois Board of Higher Education, bringing both scholarly expertise and governance experience to understanding how funding decisions shape educational opportunity.

Stay Connected

• Subscribe to Degrees of Change on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
• Sign up to receive updates.
• Follow California Competes on LinkedIn.

California State Senator Roger Niello joins the latest episode of Degrees of Change. As a UC Berkeley graduate, certified public accountant, family business owner for 25 years, and former president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Senator Niello brings decades of experience in connecting workforce needs with educational outcomes. His perspective as both a business leader and a legislator offers valuable insights on how businesses and educational institutions can collaborate more effectively to strengthen California's economy.

Key Topics

• Why business leaders must engage with higher education
• What makes employer-education partnerships succeed or fail
• How we can better prepare students for tomorrow's jobs

Our Guest, State Senator Roger Niello

Senator Niello represents California's 6th Senate District, encompassing portions of Sacramento and Placer counties. He brings extensive experience in both business and government, having previously served as president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and in the California State Assembly.

As co-owner of the Niello Company, an automobile dealership he has run with his family for 25 years, and a certified public accountant by training, Senator Niello has consistently leveraged his business expertise to advance legislation aimed at improving California's business climate and supporting economic development and job creation. He also serves on the board of directors for California Competes, where his business perspective helps shape the organization's approach to strengthening education-to-employment pathways.

Stay Connected

• Subscribe to Degrees of Change on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
• Sign up to receive updates.
• Follow California Competes on LinkedIn.