Dr. Carole Goldsmith has spent over 20 years in a variety of educational leadership roles, most recently as President of Fresno City College. She has been recognized on state and national levels as an expert on workforce development, contextualized learning, and career technical education. Dr. Goldsmith has extensive expertise in building collaboration among faculty and industry, workforce investment boards and postsecondary educational agencies in order to identify and provide opportunities for students to gain the necessary skills and knowledge for future employment in high demand fields.

Dr. Goldsmith earned her Doctorate of Education from the Joint Doctorate program offered by California State University, Fresno and University of California, Davis.

Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval has roots in Fowler, a city 15 minutes south of Fresno, and his commitment to the region and higher education form part of his personal mission to promote the region’s economic and cultural ascendency.

Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval was appointed to serve as the ninth President of Fresno State in May of 2021. He previously served as Interim President, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dean of Arts and Humanities. Prior to his administrative appointments, Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval taught at Fresno State for almost 15 years. His area of expertise is Spanish and Portuguese poetry, and he has published on authors from Cuba, Mexico, Spain and Portugal.

Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval received dual B.A.s (cum laude), in History and in Spanish, from the University of California, Irvine. His M.A. and Ph.D. are in Spanish literatures, also from UC Irvine.

Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval’s leadership has been recognized in various ways. He serves on a number of boards, including the Mountain West Athletic Conference Board, University High (Fresno) Board of Directors and California Teaching Fellows Foundation. He received the Horizon Award’s Excellence in the Arts by the Fresno Art Council in 2019, was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society in 2016, and, as a faculty member, received the Provost’s Award for Graduate Teaching and Mentoring in 2012-13.

Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval is committed to the Central Valley region, and is proud that all of his academic career has been invested in promoting the enrichment of our students and region. With deep roots in the Valley and a strong connection to agriculture and the arts, he is committed to Fresno State and the valley community. He and his wife, Dr. Mariana Anagnostopoulos, happily make Fresno their home with their two sons, Arion and Leo.

Michelle Skoor teaches excluded people in underestimated places the skills they need to get a job in technology. In this way, Michelle is helping not only change lives, but change the face of the local workforce. As Chief Workforce Officer, Michelle and their team helps graduates find high-wage tech jobs in their own cities. Graduates from Bitwise Workforce Training often get hired by Bitwise Technology Consulting and get hands-on experience delivering excellent software and business solutions.

Previously, Michelle directed the Diverse Talent Program at Bitwise, partnering with tech and enterprise organizations to engage diverse, cost-efficient tech talent using a unique and proven apprenticeship model. Before becoming Bitwise’s Chief Workforce Officer, Michelle was Product Officer for Onward & PodUp, two Bitwise initiatives launched to provide support and resources to individuals and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelle enjoys watching NCAA women’s gymnastics and was 1990 Level 9 State Champion (Floor, All Around). But their most recent brush with fame is having the first queer marriage proposal story in Glamour magazine!

Mike Snell is the Chief Executive Officer of the California Teaching Fellows Foundation. The mission of the California Teaching Fellows Foundation is to inspire next generation leaders with a passion for teaching and learning while impacting the lives of youth. Mike’s personal mission is to link talent to opportunity in the kindergarten through college pipeline. Prior to the California Teaching Fellows Foundation, Mike spent ten years as a manager in the retail sector and two years in the commercial insurance sector. Mike received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and his Master of Business Administration from Fresno State; and is currently a Education Leadership doctoral candidate. Mike invests a significant portion of his off-work hours serving and supporting organizations aligned with his personal and professional goals and making a significant impact in California’s Central Valley. Mike serves on the Board of Directors for Educational Employees Credit Union and he is an active member of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development Community Council. Additionally, Mike serves on various committees at the California Department of Education, Expanded Learning Division. In his free time, Mike gets to do his favorite thing in the world, spend time with wife Stephanie and son George.

Superintendent Ketti Davis serves the Central staff and community by creating, providing, and supporting high-quality teaching & learning opportunities.

Mrs. Davis first joined the Central family as a teacher in 1992. In her almost 28 years in education, Mrs. Davis has supported student learning as a teacher, instructional coach, technology trainer, grant writer, and administrator of assessment and technology. For 5 years, she served as a school principal in Sanger Unified at which time she facilitated a school’s academic goals that helped one school exit program improvement and another to gain Distinguished School Status.

Mrs. Davis was born and raised in San Jose, California. However, she has called the Central Valley her home for 30 years. She received her teaching credential from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from California State University, Fresno, and her administrative credential from Fresno Pacific University. Her graduate studies focused on adult learning theory and the practices and research associated with creating effective professional learning opportunities for adults in the educational organization. She was recently honored by District 1 Council Member Esmeralda Soria as one of the 2021 Women of the Year as well as previously named ACSA’s Curriculum and Instructional Administrator of the Year for Region IX.

She is married to a middle-school educator and loves to spend any free time she has with her two children, watching sports, reading, or traveling.

Benjamin T. Duran, Ed.D., is a highly respected higher education leader, teacher and former president of Merced Community College in California. He recently retired as superintendent/president of the Merced Community College District.

Bio coming soon.

Dr. Kim E. Armstrong was appointed to serve as the third president of Clovis Community College on January 3, 2023.

As President of Clovis Community College, Dr. Armstrong is responsible for leadership, budget oversight, and supervision of California’s 113th community college, serving over 13,000 students annually. She is leading the college in implementing the new educational master plan and strategic plan, expanding the Career Technical Education program, and overseeing the $70 million new facilities project. Previously, Dr. Armstrong served as the Vice Chancellor for Student, Equity, and Community Affairs at Arkansas State University Three Rivers. She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Howard University in Physiological/Neuropsychology and has Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization certifications. She also has postdoctoral training in Electrophysiology and Developmental Neurobiology. Dr. Armstrong has published on topics of learning and memory and on the importance of the community college in preparing African American, Hispanic, and women for STEM careers. The Arkansas Community College Student Success Center and Achieving the Dream selected her to be one of only 50 nationally certified Student Success/Guided Pathways Coaches and one of only 8 selected to serve as an Arkansas Holistic Student Support Coach. Dr. Armstrong serves on the Arkansas Community Colleges Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI)
Taskforce. Her DEI initiatives received several state and regional recognitions. She serves on two Arkansas United Way Boards. In Illinois, she served as Co-Campaign Chair for the United Way where she led efforts to raise $8.4M. Under her leadership, both Black Hawk College and Arkansas State University Three Rivers were cited by regional accreditors for their student success, inclusion, and community engagement culture.

Elizabeth “Beth” J. Dooley has been the President/Chief Executive Officer of Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) since December 2007. Prior to joining EECU, Ms. Dooley was appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Credit Unions for the California Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) by Governor Gray Davis, continuing her service under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In that capacity she oversaw the regulation of all state chartered credit unions in California. Beth earned her BA in Economics from Mills College and her JD from Western State University College of Law. She is a member of the California Bar. Beth is also actively involved in the community serving on a number of Boards and/or Advisory.

Bio coming soon.

Dr. Robert Pimentel has been with the State Center Community College District for 4 years serving as the Vice President of Educational Services and Institutional Effectiveness at Fresno City College and now stepping into his new role as President of Fresno City College.  He has worked with community colleges for over 21 years in special programs, counseling, career technical education, instruction, and research and planning.  He has dedicated his career to changing the educational landscape of the community college system to align to the students it serves today.  Equity is at the core of the work he is involved with and he prioritizes his work to improving the lives of students in the California Community College system.

Dr. Cantwell-Copher was raised in the Central Valley and has a deep appreciation for its unique cultural diversity, which she believes is one of Fresno County’s greatest strengths. She attended Fresno City College and Fresno State for her teaching degrees, ultimately earning a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of LaVerne. Over her career, she has opened new schools, achieved State Distinguished Schools recognitions, passed school bonds, assisted in district rapid growth, launched two educational foundations, led a movement to uplift the importance of early care and education, hosted a GradNation Summit, co-written the Central Valley Children’s Agenda and stewarded the Fresno Cradle 2 Career work. Those accomplishments are secondary to the privilege of teaching her students to read in the early years of her career as a classroom teacher.

Her mission as the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools is to provide leadership and cultivate engagement to unite all sectors in support of public education. Community partnerships and service to others are values that Dr. Cantwell-Copher upholds. She believes we must all be committed to the success of the “whole child,” starting with healthy families. Dr. Cantwell-Copher further believes that ensuring the health and safety of children is a community responsibility. She strives to ensure that each child feels valued and has access to equal opportunities to succeed in school, graduate and pursue college or a career.

She led FCSS’s successful expansion of business-education partnerships and collaborative work with nonprofit, community-based organizations and civic groups. Since 2019, Dr. Cantwell-Copher has contributed to the work of the Fresno DRIVE Community Investment Plan that focuses on economic growth, human capital and neighborhood development.

Dr. Cantwell-Copher is active in the community, serving on boards and volunteering at Valley Children’s Hospital. She was recognized as a Top 10 Business Woman of the Year in 2006. Dr. Cantwell-Copher is married to John, a Correctional Lieutenant with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, and together they have two children, Claire, a third-year law school student at McGeorge School of Law, and Quaid, serving at the United States Naval Academy.

Robert G. Nelson was appointed Superintendent of Fresno Unified School District in September 2017. Prior to his appointment to superintendent, Dr. Nelson served the district for over 23 years, holding various roles including teacher, vice principal, principal, human resources administrator and chief of staff.

Dr. Nelson served as the Chawanakee Unified Superintendent in Eastern Madera County for approximately three years before returning to Fresno Unified School District. Dr. Nelson graduated from the University of Southern California (USC), completed his Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision at California State University, Fresno and earned his doctoral degree at USC.

Joy Hermsen is an experienced workforce innovation solutions architect, developing strategic partnerships across systems to help students launch their careers. Joy’s expertise comes from leading successful teams in public and private organizations. She recently built innovative work-based learning internships, apprenticeship pathways and industry partnerships as part of the Workforce Economic Development Division at the CA Community Colleges. She also has been Director of Operations, Director of HR & Strategy, Director of Training & Development and Director of Employee Engagement & Community Relations from Fortune 500 companies to local, family-owned companies.  

Joy earned her master’s degree in business administration from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, and her bachelor’s degree in political science at UCD. She is an alumna of the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy. She has served as president on several boards, including the UCD GSM Alumni Association and Girls on the Run Sonoma County.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Cecilia Massetti was elected in 2010 and will be serving her fourth term as the Superintendent of Schools for Madera County. Prior to her election Dr. Massetti served Madera County in various roles including Associate Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Student Programs and Services, Division Administrator and Director for Educational Services, Director of Curriculum Services and Pupil Personnel Services, Program Specialist, General Education
Consultant and School Psychologist.

She is a champion for all children in the community connecting resources for children and families as a leader in local organizations. Currently, she serves as the President of the Camarena Health Centers, Board of Directors with 12 years of service on the Board. Over 30 years of service as a member of the Soroptimist Club, is also a Commissioner for First 5 Madera County and has held various leadership roles in the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association.

Dr. Massetti graduated from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Psychology. She has earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of San Francisco in Educational Administration and a Doctorate from the University of Southern California in Policy and Administration.

Superintendent Todd Lile is a Madera native who attended both John Adams and Howard Elementary School and matriculated to Thomas Jefferson Middle School. At Madera High School Mr. Lile was involved in athletics and student government for four years. Upon graduation in 1992, Mr. Lile was admitted to California State University, Fresno where he graduated in 1996 with a BA in History. While attending Fresno State he served as a special
education paraprofessional for more than four years in Madera Unified. Mr. Lile served as a teacher for 13 years before earning his MA in educational leadership from the College of New Jersey in 2010.

As an educator for 30 years, Mr. Lile has demonstrated a love of teaching and learning. His teaching career began in Clovis Unified where he served for a combined six years between Clovis High, Clovis West, and the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART) where he was an original staff member. He and his wife Jessica Zapata-Lile, also of Madera, taught overseas in Escuela Americana Honduras for two years and Dubai American Academy for five years all as an International Baccalaureate history teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Lile traveled widely in both the Old and New World together and often with students. After the birth of their first of three sons (Luke, Ian, and Benjamin respectively), Mr. and Mrs. Lile returned to California where he eventually served as a vice-principal and principal at Madera South High School. In 2015, Mr. Lile assumed the role of Chief Academic Officer and in 2017 as Superintendent. He is
able to speak conversational Spanish and reads as much as possible about subjects ranging from education, psychology, history and current events. Mr. Lile keeps in touch with former students internationally but takes special pride in seeing them return locally to serve their hometown.

The main reason to return to the USA was to reconnect to friends and family in Madera and Fresno.  The entire Madera Unified executive cabinet and Mr. Lile believes deeply that MUSD’s identity and philosophy must be built upon its best traditions and must align to modern student needs. The Governing Board’s adoption of a Community Compact, Core Values, Graduate Profile, Student Bill of Rights, and more has helped reinvest in those traditions and the next
generation of alumni. One of the most satisfying aspects of local leadership is working with so many who share a deep commitment to their community. Mr. Lile also serves on the Kremen School of Education’s Dean’s Advisory Council to support his university alma mater, Fresno State.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Dr. Jerry Buckley currently serves as president of Reedley College and came to the Central Valley from the Santa Clarita Community College District, where he served as assistant superintendent/vice president of academic affairs since August of 2013. Prior to that, Dr. Buckley was the vice president of instruction for the San Diego Community College District.

He also worked for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District as senior dean of planning, research & institutional effectiveness, acting vice president of academic affairs, dean, interim associate dean and professor. Mr. Buckley earned his Ed.D. in educational leadership from San Diego State, his M.A. in biology from Cal State Fullerton and his B.S. in biological sciences from USC. Dr. Buckley is also a graduate of the LACCD/UCLA Presidents Academy.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Lindsay Fox (formerly Callahan) is the President and CEO of United Way Fresno and Madera Counties. Lindsay has led the organization since February 2016, spearheading efforts to help working families thrive and promoting equity. The work focuses on the intersecting and comprehensive supports and services in the areas of financial stability, education, and health.

Lindsay was raised in the Fresno area and attended Clovis schools before receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from UC Davis and her Master’s Degree of Public Policy and Administration from Sacramento State. Her time in the Sacramento included a stint in the California State Assembly, including serving as a prestigious Jesse Marvin Unruh Fellow. Lindsay
also spent several years at the Foundation Consortium for California’s Children and Youth, managing a state level public private partnership between the foundations and the California Department of Education.

After returning to Fresno in 2004, she started a successful local intermediary organization called the Central Valley Afterschool Foundation focused on expanding opportunities for children and youth. Most recently, Lindsay was a consultant for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools in the Visual and Performing Arts Department.

A passionate advocate for children, youth, and families, Lindsay commits her spare time to promoting the San Joaquin Valley. She is a past president of the Junior League of Fresno and also sits on the board of directors for several local organizations. Lindsay is the Vice President of the Fresno Compact Board of Directors and sits on a number of statewide boards, including Mentor California. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Lindsay to the California Volunteers Commission in 2021. Service is Lindsay’s passion.

Lindsay was awarded the Adult Volunteer of the Year award from HandsOn Central California and was named one of Fresno’s 40 under 40. She was also named one of the Top Ten Professional Women in Fresno in 2019.

A California native whose parents immigrated from Mexico and whose father worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz has deep roots in the UC System and the Central Valley region.

He currently serves as Chancellor of UC Merced and previously served in a variety of positions including president of University of Houston Downtown (UHD), vice president for institutional diversity, equity and community engagement and vice provost for undergraduate education and student affairs at Texas Tech University.

He is the author of book chapters, academic articles, essays, refereed and invited conference presentations. He earned his B.A. in psychology from UC Santa Barbara and an M.A. in Mexican American studies from California State University, Los Angeles.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Driven by the need to impact students and economies through innovation and ingenuity, Karri Hammerstrom has spent the last 12 years in the educational arena helping institutions effectively implement education and workforce initiatives for student success. As the Executive Director of the Fresno K-16 Collaborative, she is actively leading this bold intersegmental collaboration whose focus is on laying the foundation with dual enrollment pathways to systemically and sustainably address equity and inclusion of our most vulnerable student populations by improving socioeconomic mobility with increased educational attainment levels; increasing employability in high-demand, living wage jobs; and lowering the poverty rate.

Prior to joining the Collaborative in July 2020, Karri served as the Regional Chair of the Central/Mother Lode Regional Consortium (CRC) leading its 15 regional CA community colleges on behalf of the CA Community College Chancellor’s Office to realize change leadership to close student success and equity gaps by ensuring colleges effectively implement education and workforce initiatives and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in regional, priority industry sector; and managed a Strong Workforce regional investment portfolio of over $85M for the CRC colleges and K-12s. She also previously served as Reedley College CTE faculty managing their U.S. Department of Labor grant funded Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College & Career Training program which was part of a 11-CA community college collaborative effort to prepare students to be career-ready employees in the areas of agriculture and manufacturing, alternative fuels/renewable energy, and health; taught classes on career preparation and leadership in the agriculture industry; managed an USDA-HSI grant funded program designed to promote equity leadership and interest in the agriculture sector for high school students; and was a 2014 USDA E. Kika De La Garza Fellow. Karri holds a Master’s of Public Administration from California State University, Fresno with Honors, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in City and Regional Planning with a Minor in Agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She lives and farms in CA’s Central San Joaquin Valley with her husband and their two children.

As the Administrative Support Coordinator, Sam provides administrative support to the Collaborative and is responsible for Collaborative meeting scheduling, event logistics, budget management, and day to day office operations.

Prior to the Collaborative in September 2020, Sam was an Administrative Analyst for the Kremen School of Education of Human Development at California State University, Fresno.  She holds a B.S. in Business Administration, with a Human Resources Management option. 

Sam lives in Fresno, CA where she raises her four daughters who keep her extremely busy.  

Lauren Flores (she / her) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach whose service-oriented professional experience has been dedicated to providing empathetic and solution-focused guidance to diverse undergraduate students as they navigate the complexities of higher educational systems. She lives in Sanger, where she attended through high school, with her husband and their two cats and they look forward to establishing their roots closer to both of their families.

Lauren was a Regents Scholar, a member of the College of Letters and Science Honors Program, and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at UC Santa Barbara where she graduated with High Honors earning a B.A. in Psychology with two minors in Classics and Education (Applied Psychology track). She then obtained her M.S. in Counseling, option Student Affairs and College Counseling, at Fresno State while also working as a Graduate Assistant in the Student Involvement Center to support recognized student organizations, Greek Life, campus events, and leadership programming. As a first-year Orientation Leader she was selected by the team to receive the “Most Inspirational” award and then subsequently served as the Graduate Student Coordinator before being hired full-time as the Assistant Coordinator of Dog Days: New Student Orientation and an Academic Counselor in the University Advising Center at Fresno State. 

Lauren continued her career at UC Santa Barbara as an Academic Advisor before holding multiple positions at San Jose State University including an Academic Advisor in the CHHS Student Success Center, the Graduation & Data Specialist in the H&A Student Success Center, and the Guardian Scholars Program Coordinator within the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), where she provided direct guidance to first-generation college students with lived experiences as current or former foster youth, wards of the court, unaccompanied homeless youth, and youth under legal guardianship. Lauren was thrilled to return home to join the Collaborative team to leverage her skills and experiences to support Central Valley students in accessing transformative educational experiences with holistic support to ensure their personal, professional, and academic progress and success from high school to college and beyond.