Central Valley leaders urged to cash in
on California’s ‘Golden Ticket’ opportunity

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC communications lead

[NEW V.4 TO COME]

(NOV. 10, 2026) — The College Futures Foundation has come up with the Golden Ticket. Now it is up to the Central Valley to cash it in.

That was the challenge Benjamín T. Durán, Ed.D., executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC), delivered in closing remarks at the Our Golden Ticket roadshow – a regional gathering Oct. 27 in Fresno focused on connecting higher education, workforce development and economic opportunity.

“It’s up to the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and all of our partners who are in here today to help cash this thing in,” Durán said, expressing his hope that regional leaders would look back in the coming years and recognize that their initial conversations had produced meaningful progress.

Presented by College Futures Foundation (CFF), CVHEC and the Central Valley Community Foundation, the event – titled “California’s Future Runs Through the Central Valley: A Regional Conversation on Talent Mobility, Opportunity, and Economic Mobility” — marked the final stop on CFF’s Our Golden Ticket roadshow, which brought the conversation to communities across California.

Opening and closing remarks were provided by the three partner organizations’ chief executives: Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president and CEO of College Futures Foundation; Ashley Swearengin, president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation; and Durán of CVHEC.

The gathering brought together leaders from higher education, business, workforce development, philanthropy, community-based organizations, research and public policy to examine how the Central Valley can better align educational programs and workforce talent with the needs of a changing economy.

The central question: How can the region work together to ensure that more residents have access to postsecondary education and training that leads not only to credentials but also to meaningful employment and greater economic mobility?

The urgency of Duran’s closing remarks challenge was underscored by a video message from Gov. Gavin Newsom, providing a fitting backdrop for the Fresno gathering. 

The governor called attention to California’s ambitious goal of ensuring that 70 percent of adults earn a college degree or career credential after high school by 2030.

“70%. Remember this number. That’s the goal by 2030,” Gov. Newsom told the participants in his video. “That’s just in a few years for the share of adults earning a degree or a career credential after high school.”

Newsom said the state has backed the goal with a multiyear plan and investments tied to improving access, affordability and student success.

But the economic implications extend well beyond educational attainment alone.

He emphasized that reaching the goal will require continued investment in working learners and developing talent for an evolving economy.

“And that means employers and educational institutions, labor and government must pursue bold action to reach this goal,” Newsom said, thanking College Futures Foundation for keeping the issue at the forefront of California’s economic future.

A $4.4 trillion opportunity

The Golden Ticket conversation is grounded in research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, developed in partnership with College Futures Foundation.

The report estimates that California could generate $4.4 trillion in economic gains over 50 years if every demographic group of working-age adults reaches at least 70% postsecondary attainment by 2035.

The findings underscore the considerable work ahead. Approximately 56% of working-age Californians currently hold a postsecondary credential, with substantial differences across racial and ethnic groups, income levels, age groups and geographic regions.

For the Central Valley, the challenge is particularly significant, said Swearengen, a former Fresno mayor.

She said communities across the region continue to experience comparatively low educational attainment, high unemployment and changing workforce demands. 

“At the same time, employers face the challenge of finding qualified workers as industries evolve and new technologies reshape the skills required for employment,” she said.

Turning research into regional action

The CFF/CVHEC/CVCF partnership reflected a shared recognition that improving educational attainment and workforce outcomes requires collaboration extending beyond individual institutions and traditional organizational boundaries.

Durán said for CVHEC, the initiative also aligns closely with the consortium’s four strategic priorities, which focus on artificial intelligence, data sharing and regional dashboards, enrollment reconnect and workforce alignment.

Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC associate director, represented the consortium on the Golden Ticket planning committee, which met regularly in the weeks leading up to the event.

Ramirez said CVHEC welcomed the opportunity to partner with College Futures Foundation and the Central Valley Community Foundation when the initiative was brought to the region.

“It was great to have regional industry, workforce and higher education partners come together to think through how we’re going to reach the 70% attainment goal,” Ramírez said.

He noted that the Golden Ticket’s emphasis on regional collaboration complements CVHEC’s ongoing efforts to bring the Valley’s colleges and universities together around shared priorities.

The event’s discussions also will help inform future conversations, including the consortium’s 25th anniversary Central Valley Higher Education Summit scheduled for April 23, 2027.

Regional conversations focus on workforce needs

A major component of the Fresno gathering was a series of subregion breakout sessions designed to bring the broader discussion into sharper focus through the experiences and perspectives of local leaders.

Three CVHEC representatives helped facilitate the discussions, representing the North, Central and South Valley.

Dr. Lori Bennett, president-emerita of Clovis Community College and now a CVHEC Lead for AI (she is also CVHEC’s Master’s Upskilling Math Mentor coordinator), facilitated the Central California breakout session.

Bennett said the well-attended discussion generated suggestions for improving collaboration among different sectors, including education, nonprofit organizations and industry.

“The group had several suggestions about how the region could improve through different segments working together to meet the needs of the Valley,” she said.

Bennett also pointed to a fireside chat with local employers as one of the day’s particularly valuable components.

“They provided real insights into their current needs and some of the barriers that they find as they try to hire new employees,” she said.

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson, superintendent/president of San Joaquin Delta College and a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors, facilitated the North Valley breakout session.

Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor-emerita of West Hills Community College District and CVHEC’s task force lead for Data Sharing and AI, facilitated the South Valley discussion.

Clark said the session provided an opportunity to connect the day’s research and presentations with the practical challenges facing communities across the southern portion of the region.

Participants explored the challenges of developing emerging industry sectors, helping current workers acquire new skills and strengthening connections among employers, educators and community partners.

“Our Golden Ticket provided valuable space to express the importance of working together to turn these shared challenges into greater economic opportunities for our communities,” Clark said.

Keeping the conversation going

For Durán, the Fresno gathering represented a beginning rather than a conclusion.

He emphasized that the region must continue bringing together organizations and individuals who can contribute to the effort, including stakeholders who may not have been represented at the initial gathering.

“This should not be the one and only conversation. It should be the beginning of conversations and dialogue for the rest of the two, three, four or five years that it’s going to take us to work on this thing in earnest,” he said.

He also underscored one of CVHEC’s greatest strengths: its ability to convene higher education leaders and facilitate collaboration across the region.

CVHEC represents 29 colleges and universities stretching from Kern County to San Joaquin County, providing an established network through which regional institutions can work together on issues affecting student success and the Valley’s economic future.

As the Central Valley looks toward its next chapter of educational and economic development, the message from Fresno was clear: achieving the promise of the Golden Ticket will require more than a shared vision or a compelling research report. It will take sustained commitment, stronger partnerships and measurable progress over time.

Durán challenged participants to make that commitment now so that, several years from today, they can look back on the Oct. 27 gathering as the starting point for meaningful regional change.

The opportunity, he reminded them, is there. It is now up to the region to cash it in.

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