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.

On the latest episode of our Degrees of Change podcast, State Senator Christopher Cabaldon challenges us to think bigger and act bolder. A UC Berkeley graduate, former vice chancellor for California Community Colleges, and faculty member at Sacramento State, Senator Cabaldon has experienced higher education from nearly every angle—as an educator, policymaker, and longtime mayor. Now serving in the State Senate, he makes a compelling case: the stakes in higher education are as high as in healthcare or climate policy. It’s time we start acting like it.

Senator Cabaldon shares his approach to eliminating barriers rather than simply helping students navigate them, including his new legislation driving automatic admissions to the California State University. He also discusses why California must refocus our systems on serving all Californians throughout their lives, not just recent high school graduates.

Key Topics

• The paradox of higher education: shared values make collaboration easier but can prevent the accountability and breakthrough innovation found in other policy areas
• What higher education can learn from other policy domains about ambition and urgency
• How California can create meaningful coordination to streamline pathways to and through higher education

Our Guest, State Senator Christopher Cabaldon
Senator Cabaldon represents California's 3rd Senate District, which spans portions of Contra Costa, Solano, Sacramento, Napa, Sonoma, and Yolo counties. He was elected to the State Senate in 2024 after serving over two decades as Mayor of West Sacramento, where he launched the first auto-admission program in the country.

His extensive experience includes serving as Vice Chancellor for Policy, Planning, and External Affairs at the California Community Colleges, teaching as a university faculty member at Sacramento State, serving as a commissioner on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, serving on President Obama's College Promise Board, and serving as a former board member of California Competes. He also chaired the education committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. This multifaceted background gives him unique insight into how education policy works at every level of California's complex system.

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. Carl Cohn is the latest guest on our new podcast, Degrees of Change, which is kicking off with a series of interviews exploring the legacy of California’s 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education.

His rare blend of experience in a wide range of roles within education, along with a remarkable track record of improving student achievement, brings a valuable perspective on how the state can renew its commitment to accessible public higher education.

Dr. Cohn joins Dr. Su Jin Jez, Chief Executive Officer of California Competes, for a discussion about how California can redesign its higher education and workforce systems to better meet the needs of its residents and drive economic growth.

Key topics

• Overcoming current barriers that make higher education inaccessible and unaffordable to too many Californians
• Strengthening the alignment of the state’s K-12 and higher education systems
• Identifying opportunities to prioritize the needs of students over institutional hierarchies

Our Guest, Dr. Carl Cohn

Dr. Cohn has been a teacher, counselor, professor, federal court monitor, superintendent, and the executive director of California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, an independent state agency that monitors, advises, and assists school districts to improve their performance. Under his leadership, Long Beach Unified School District became a national model for high academic standards and accountability, ultimately earning the district the coveted Broad Prize for Urban Education for the public system with the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while narrowing achievement gaps among low-income students and students of color.

Today, he is a professor emeritus in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University.

Dr. Cohn earned his EdD in Administrative and Policy Studies from UCLA, an MA in Counseling from Chapman University, and a BA in Philosophy from St. John’s College.

Resources and Links

• From Institutions to Individuals: A Paradigm Shift for California’s Master Plan for Higher Education - Written as part of a UCLA Civil Rights Project series on the future of education and civil rights in California, our white paper explores a bold, equity-centered vision for California’s postsecondary system—one built to endure varying economic cycles, aligned with today’s economic and societal needs, and strengthens pathways to opportunity.
• California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy - Learn more about our work.

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.

In 1960, California released a Master Plan for higher education that was bold for its time, rooted in principles of accessibility, affordability, quality, and fairness. But much has changed since the mid-20th century. Budget restrictions arising from Proposition 13, changes in student demographics, and shifts in the labor market necessitate a reimagined master plan for the 21st century.

In this episode of Degrees of Change, Dr. Su Jin Jez sits down with Dr. Christopher J. Nellum, the executive director of EdTrust-West, to reflect on the enduring relevance of the Master Plan’s guiding principles and how the state can recommit to those principles.

Key Topics

• Needed changes to financial aid so more Californians can afford college
• Reducing regional inequities in access to higher education
• Strengthening alignment of the state’s TK-12, college, and workforce systems

Our Guest, Dr. Christopher J. Nellum

EdTrust-West’s Dr. Christopher J. Nellum is leader on educational equity in California whose work spans TK to higher education. He draws from his experiences in Head Start, growing up in a rural part of California, and benefiting from the support of a high school guidance counselor who helped him secure government grants that were essential for being able to attend college.

Dr. Nellum has served in roles with the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Young Invincibles, and the American Council on Education. Nellum earned his undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara, master’s degree at CSU Long Beach, and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.

Resources and Links

• From Institutions to Individuals: A Paradigm Shift for California’s Master Plan for Higher Education - Written as part of a UCLA Civil Rights Project series on the future of education and civil rights in California, our white paper explores a bold, equity-centered vision for California’s postsecondary system—one built to endure varying economic cycles, aligned with today’s economic and societal needs, and strengthens pathways to opportunity.
• California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy - Learn more about our work.

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.

What happens when a plan designed in 1960 still shapes the experiences of California students today? In this episode of Degrees of Change, Dr. Su Jin Jez sits down with Pat Callan, one of the nation's most influential leaders in higher education reform. Pat shares insights from decades of policy work and helps us unpack how California’s Master Plan was shaped, where it falls short, and what must change to make California’s higher education system more equitable and responsive to the needs of today.

Key Topics

• The original goals—and limitations—of California’s 1960 Master Plan
• How the state drifted away from a student-centered vision
• The roles of state leadership, accountability, and courage in driving change

Our Guest, Pat Callan

For decades, Pat Callan has been one of the nation's most respected leaders in higher education reform. He served as president of some of our nation’s most influential organizations, such as the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and the Higher Education Policy Institute, and as a leader of several state postsecondary education commissions—including California’s former entity.

He has published many articles and papers on higher education policy, educational opportunity, public accountability, financing of higher education, and state policy leadership. He coauthored Designing State Higher Education Systems for a New Century and Financing American Higher Education in the Age of Globalization. He is coeditor of Public and Private Financing of Higher Education: Shaping Public Policy for the Future and The Learning Connection, New Partnerships between Schools and Colleges.

Resources and Links

• From Institutions to Individuals: A Paradigm Shift for California’s Master Plan for Higher Education - Written as part of a UCLA Civil Rights Project series on the future of education and civil rights in California, our white paper explores a bold, equity-centered vision for California’s postsecondary system—one built to endure varying economic cycles, aligned with today’s economic and societal needs, and strengthens pathways to opportunity.
• California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy - Learn more about our work.

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.