Team and Board

In this page:

We are a diverse, passionate team committed to creating an inclusive and resilient economy through a postsecondary ecosystem that centers the needs of all students and advances shared prosperity. We are proud to represent the diversity of our state and have decades of cross-disciplinary expertise that propels us forward in the work we do.

We are a team of 10, guided by a board of 14

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0 %
are people of color

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0 %
are people of color
California Competes’s expertise stems from
14 decades

in research

38 decades

in education

31 decades

in policy &
government

12 decades

in workforce &
economic development

15 decades

in business

Meet Our Team

Su Jin Jez, PhD

CEO

Su Jin Jez, PhD

CEO

kim bernet

Kim Bernet

VP, Operations and Finance

kim bernet

Kim Bernet

VP, Operations and Finance

laura bernhard

Laura Bernhard, PhD

Senior Researcher

laura bernhard

Laura Bernhard, PhD

Senior Researcher

Daniela Estrada

Daniela Estrada

Student Researcher

Daniela Estrada

Daniela Estrada

Student Researcher

carolyn ho

Carolyn Ho

Communications Director

carolyn ho

Carolyn Ho

Communications Director

Na Araki

Operations Coordinator

Na Araki

Operations Coordinator

Anna “AJ” Johnson

Policy Director

Anna “AJ” Johnson

Policy Director

Jen Liberty

Student Researcher

Jen Liberty

Student Researcher

Rachel “Ray” Porter

Communications Associate

Rachel “Ray” Porter

Communications Associate

david radwin

David Radwin

Senior Researcher

david radwin

David Radwin

Senior Researcher

Meet Our Board

California Competes benefits from a Board of Directors that provides statewide reach and a breadth and depth of expertise and leadership. Our Board is made up of local elected officials and former legislators, as well as business and community leaders who are committed to equity-centered policy reforms that ensure the diverse residents of this state have what they need to achieve their education and career goals.

Elizabeth Hill, Chair

Fourth Legislative Analyst of California

Keely Bosler

Founder and Principal, Keely MB Strategies; and former Chief Fiscal Advisor and Director of Finance, state of California

christopher cabaldon

Christopher Cabaldon

mayor in residence, Institute for the Future; commissioner, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education; and former vice chancellor, California Community Colleges

carl a. cohn

Carl A. Cohn

Professor emeritus, Claremont Graduate University

Daniel Gross

Former Executive, Sharp Healthcare

steven koblik

Steven Koblik

Former president, Huntington Library; and former president, Reed College

carol liu

Carol Liu

Former state senator (D)

julia lopez

Julia Lopez

Former president and CEO, College Futures Foundation

libby schaaf

Lenny Mendonça

former chief economic and business advisor, state of California

Leroy Morishita

President Emeritus, California State University, East Bay

roger niello

Roger Niello

state senator (R); co-owner, The Niello Company

libby schaaf

Libby Schaaf

50th mayor of Oakland; and By All Means senior fellow, Harvard

jack scott

Jack Scott

Former chancellor, California Community Colleges; former state senator and assemblymember (D); and former president, Pasadena City College

peter weber

Peter Weber

founder, Fresno Bridge Academy; and former Fortune 500 executive

Discover ways to ignite change with us.
Help us advance equitable policies in California.
Explore our work.