The May 11 Convergence program focused on the Next Economy initiative, a region-wide, sector based economic development strategy being developed by the Metro Chamber, SACTO, SARTA and Valley Vision. Next Economy is consistent with LEED’s strategic objective to align education to advance the region’s economic objectives. Brice Harris, Chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District and member of the Next Economy leadership team, provided the 230 attendees with an overview of Next Economy, and identified education as a cross-cutting support to industry clusters identified as having the greatest ability to create new jobs and wealth within the Capital Region: Agribusiness, Bioscience, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Energy Technology. Sally Hamilton of Drexel University showcased critical careers within each sector and a panel of education leaders discussed how their organizations were positioned to prepare students for success in the Next Economy. Below are related power point presentations. A summary report will be distributed in the coming days.
Convergence Next Economy – Brice Harris May 11, 2012
Convergence Critical Careers – Sally Hamilton May 11, 2012
List of California Partnership Academies and Academy Pathways within the Capital region.
California Partnership Academy and Academy Pathways List 2012
Capitol-to-Capitol, provides a unique opportunity for business and community leaders to align around issues concerning the six-county Sacramento region and to work directly with congressional delegates to organize broad-base support for critical initiatives. Participants also value the chance to network and do business with other peer leaders from the region.
For more information on the policy agenda, click on Capitol To Capitol Brochure
Join Us! LEED Bus Tour/Study Mission
Please make plans to join business, education, civic and political leaders from the greater SacramentoRegion on LEED’s second annual Capital Region Career Academy Bus Tour on Tuesday, May 8 from7:30 am to 5:00 pm. The tour begins at the New San Juan High School in Citrus Heights.
To reserve your seat, please R.S.V.P to lchristopher@leed.org
LEED Bus Tour/Study Mission Invite
LEED Bus Tour/Study Mission Itinerary 2012
LEED, serving as the Capital Area P-20 Council, and the UC Davis School of Education have received a planning grant from the Bechtel Foundation to develop a region-wide STEM education network, in support of in-school and out of school programs in science, technology, engineering and math. Read the press release here.
The Capital Area STEM Network will support programs aligned with industry clusters included within the Next Economy regional economic development strategy and will incorporate an entrepreneurial component, as a deliberate strategy to encourage our region’s young people to consider starting their own STEM-based business ventures as a viable career option.
School districts, colleges and universities, museums, non-profits and STEM-based employers from throughout the six county Sacramento region will be invited to participate in the nine-month planning process, which will begin this spring.
For additional information, contact Linda Christopher, LEED’s Director of Education Innovation at lchristopher@leed.org.
LEED, in collaboration with Chevron and Project Lead the Way held the first annual State Conference. To read more about this event, please click on the link below.
http://www.pltw.org/recent-press-releases/california-stem-education-leaders-gather-learning-and-networking
LEED and the Los Rios Community College District showcased examples of effective employer-education partnerships in California and the US at the February 24 Convergence event. Dominic Giandomenico, of the US Chamber’s Institute for Competitive Workforce, presented findings from four convenings throughout the US which examined the educational priorities of business and profiled communities uniting to improve educational outcomes and advance economic objectives. Representatives from three communities also showcased their success in fostering partnerships among employers, educators and civic partners: The San Bernardino Alliance for Education, the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and the Eastern Ohio P-16 Council. Former Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell, identified LEED, working as the Capital Area P-20 Council, as a leader in California among organizations seeking to improve education and the economy. A complete report will be distributed in the coming weeks. A copy of the US Chamber presentation can be found here.
Chris Holben, 2012 chair of LEED’s board of directors and principal with Runyon, Saltzman and Einhorn, announced highlights of the organization’s 2012-14 Strategic Plan at Friday’s Convergence event, held at Sacramento State University’s Alumni Center. Serving as the Capital Area P-20 Council, LEED intends to
- Benchmark our region’s levels of educational achievement against other regions in California and the US
- Identify careers critical to the region’s economy and identify career pathways
- Align key segments of the region’s education segments, including middle school to high school and high school to post secondary
- Re-brand LEED, emphasizing its role as the Capital Area P-20 Council
- Identify key policy priorities and leveraging the Metro Chamber’s policy platform to advance them
Full details of LEED’s 2012-14 Strategic Plan can be found here.
As a result of the December 2011 Convergence, volunteer leaders of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, SACTO, SARTA and LEED partnered together to write an Op/Ed supporting education as a top priority, featured in the January 6, 2012 edition of the Sacramento Business Journal.
This piece clearly establishes education as a top priority for business leaders and regional civic/economic development organizations in the Capital Region and firmly positions appropriate support for public education, combined with policy reforms that promote entrepreneurism and business formation, as a critical component for regional economic prosperity.
The December 9 Convergence event focused on higher education and featured Chancellor Linda Katehi of UC Davis, President Alexander Gonzalez of Sacramento State University and Chancellor Brice Harris of the Los Rios Community College District. Read the article
(L-R) Moderator Martha Clark Lofgren, left, interim president and CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez and Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brice Harris participate in a panel discussion at Convergence VIII. Photo courtesy of Steve McKay for Office of Public Affairs, Sacramento State
Over 300 participants attended the final Convergence program of 2011 on December 9th, which focused on the region’s higher education sector.
Higher education in the Capital Region, comprised over a dozen public and private colleges and universities, is a powerful industry sector in and of itself, in addition to its core role of producing intellectual and human capital in the form of research, and a talent pool of educated and highly skilled people.
While offering degree programs that provide graduates the education and skills they need for careers in the region’s highest demand fields—healthcare, engineering, clean energy technology, business/entrepreneurism, education, biotechnology—higher education leaders continue to struggle with the adverse impacts of the state’s chronic budget crisis to curriculum, programs and operational budgets.
Convergence provided a powerful platform for three of the region’s higher education leaders: UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, Sacramento State President Alex Gonzalez, and Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brice Harris. The three were asked to discuss how their institutions were poised to advance the region’s economic future and discuss what civic and business leaders in the Capital Region can do to support their efforts. Read about the panel discussion in the full Convergence Report
