Industry Partner Voices

The Golden State needs highly skilled health care professionals, teachers, engineers, cybersecurity experts, climate resilience researchers and other knowledge workers to keep California’s economy strong and thriving.  Let’s hear from our workforce partners about the CSU’s impact on the vital industries that drive California—the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Gavin Newsom

Governor of California

"Education opens doors — and there is no greater or more prestigious educational system than California's public universities. These schools are a lifeline for first-generation and working-class students and channel vital talent straight into our workforce. From classrooms to clinics, fields to film sets, CSU graduates power the services, industries, and innovation that make California dominate and thrive."

Stewart Knox

Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency

"Across California, the CSU is moving California and the state’s workforce forward. Nearly half of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in our state come from the CSU – preparing talent that meets California’s evolving workforce needs in every region and major industry."

EDUCATION

Debra Duardo, M.S.W., Ed.D.

Los Angeles County Office of Education
County Superintendent of Schools

"The Los Angeles County of Education (LACOE) is the largest regional education agency in the nation spanning over 80 school districts countywide. Together, through our partnerships with the various CSU universities within Los Angeles County, the CSU is preparing the next generation of teachers and educators for our two million students countywide."

Dr. Edwin Gomez

Superintendent of Riverside County Office of Education

"Cal State San Bernardino’s Educator Preparation Program is helping to shape the next generation of educators in the Inland Empire and beyond. Together, we are preparing teachers who understand our communities and believe in every student’s potential. Their work strengthens the education systems in the region, ensuring brighter futures for our students."

Shelly Viramontez

Campbell Union School District Superintendent

"The Campbell Union School District (CUSD) is very appreciative of the partnership with San Jose State University (SJSU). This collaboration has created a teacher and school administrator pipeline that CUSD has come to depend on. We know that the teacher candidates that are coming to us from SJSU are well prepared for the classroom which propels CUSD to educate students to their highest potential."

Kern High School District Board

Quote from November 3, 2025 Board Meeting

CSU Bakersfield through the Kern High Teacher Residency program, began in 2018/19 with 18 residents in its first Cohort. Today, in Cohort 8 we have 48 residents participating in this full-year preparation program. Each resident is paired with a Kern High School District mentor teacher and spends three days a week in the classroom gaining hands-on experience. The state of California recently selected the Kern High Residency program as a Model Program and it's nationally recognized for its success. It has become one of our most effective strategies for recruiting and hiring teachers. A total of 831 former resident teachers were hired as teachers, and 116 former Residents are now currently employed as teachers in our district. As we look ahead to the spring semester, the human resources division will begin preparing for the next cycle of recruitment events and staffing plans for the 2026-2027 school year."

Fallon Ferris, SHRM-CP

Director I, Human Resources
Modesto City Schools

"Stanislaus State is the kind of partner every district hopes for, responsive, innovative, and all-in on building a diverse, local educator pipeline. Together, we’ve expanded Residency opportunities; launched a Special Educator Pipeline that allows our paraeducators to continue serving students without a four-month leave, removing a major barrier to advancement; and, through the CTEPP grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched Educators Rising in our K–12 schools alongside Stan State’s Aspiring Educators program. That continuum lets future teachers mentor our students from the moment they discover the profession to the day they lead a classroom. These outcomes don’t happen by chance; they happen when the right people say ‘yes’ to new ideas, dismantle obstacles instead of erecting them, and stay relentlessly focused on impact. Our partnership with Stanislaus State is changing lives and strengthening the educator workforce our community deserves."

Kristin Stonehouse

Director of Human Relations
Milpitas Unified School District

"We absolutely cherish the partnership we have built and nurtured with SJSU. I have seen firsthand the vital role that university educator preparation programs play in developing the next generation of teachers who will serve students in our schools. These programs equip future educators with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed to meet the diverse needs of today's learners. By partnering with universities, districts benefit from a strong pipeline of well-prepared, passionate teachers who are ready to make a positive impact in the classroom. In turn, it affords the opportunity for mentor teachers to share their expertise and help bridge the classroom practice with university instruction. Together, the strong partnership that SJSU and MUSD have formed, is preparing strong educators who will empower students for years to come."

Juhi Sharma

Interim Principal, Joseph Weller
Milpitas Unified School District

"SJSU's year-long residency model in partnership with MUSD is a game-changer. It gives future teachers an amazing opportunity to experience the full rhythm of a school year within our Milpitas learning spaces. This doesn't just prepare them; it builds a powerful foundation with our district, turning promising candidates into committed, community-ready educators from day one."

Shannon Bui

Induction Coordinator
Coordinator of Student, Family, and Community Services
Oak Grove School District

"Oak Grove School District has been fortunate to maintain a close and long-standing partnership with the Lurie College of Education. Its teacher preparation program combines comprehensive coursework, integrated field experiences, and a reflective practice model to prepare graduates with a strong foundation in research-based instruction, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and strategies for meeting the diverse needs of today’s students. New teachers from SJSU consistently show strong instructional skills, collaboration, and a deep commitment to creating equitable learning environments where all students can succeed. SJSU graduates are thoroughly prepared to succeed as teachers in the Oak Grove School District."

Ryan Ung

Human Resource Services, Employee Quality & Retention
Long Beach Unified School District

"CSULB has consistently demonstrated measurable impact across the broader community through innovative partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and civic agencies. These efforts have led to improved student outcomes, stronger teacher pipelines, and more inclusive school environments. The institution prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion in its recruitment, support systems, and hiring practices, helping to diversify the educator workforce in meaningful ways."

TECH/AI/CYBER

Leah Belsky

OpenAI
VP of Education at OpenAI
CSU AI Workforce Board members

"We’re in the middle of a major shift in education. Students need real, hands-on experience with AI to develop the skills that today’s jobs demand. My work on the workforce board has underscored that giving every student meaningful access isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s central to expanding opportunity and building workforce readiness."

Dr. Kory Kantenga

Head of Economics, Americas
LinkedIn
CSU AI Workforce Board members

"As part of CalState’s AI Workforce Acceleration Board, I work with education and industry leaders to define best practices and AI fluency. I am hopeful that these early steps will lay the foundation for students and faculty across California to thrive in an AI-driven workforce."

Dr. Darren Pulsipher

Chief Solutions Architect
Intel
CSU AI Workforce Board members

"Coming from industry and now stepping into the classroom, I’ve found the CSU AI Workforce Acceleration Board to be eye-opening. It’s shown me how powerful it is when academia and industry work side-by-side to prepare students for the opportunities and challenges of an AI-driven future."

Mary Strain

AI and Machine Learning Strategy
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
CSU AI Workforce Board members

"I am honored to serve on the CSU AI Workforce Acceleration Board. It is a dynamic coalition of industry and higher educational leaders representing world class expertise and diverse perspectives. The Board is engaged in supporting the CSU System and Californians as a whole in not only becoming better prepared to build, create and compete with these new technologies but equally important is our focus on supporting durable skills such as critical thinking, discernment and learning how to learn. These skills will support thoughtful stewardship of AI technologies and prove to be important super powers in an globally AI augmented economy."