Governing Board Members

Gavin Payne is CEO of GPC Advisors, LLC, a national consultancy focused on K-20 education policy issues with philanthropy, not-for-profits, advocacy organizations, and businesses. Previously, he served as the U.S. Director of Policy, Advocacy, & Communications for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to that he served in California as its Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction and as a Chief of Staff in the State Senate. In addition to the Cradle-to-Career Board, Payne sits on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

As the Founder and CEO of Revival Strategy Consulting LLC, Robert Garcia Tagorda provides strategic advising, program design, and executive leadership services to school systems, postsecondary partnerships, and philanthropic foundations. Robert Garcia Tagorda's experience ranges from early childhood through higher education. It includes serving as Chief Academic Officer at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and as an Executive Director at the Long Beach Unified School District, where he oversaw the Long Beach College Promise.

Christopher Cabaldon was elected to the California State Senate in 2024, representing the people of Wine Country, the Delta, the North Bay, and the Sacramento Valley across the 3,000 square miles of the Third Senate District. Before his election, he served two decades as Mayor of West Sacramento, shepherding a profound community transformation that earned the city national recognition as America's Most Livable Small City and made it a first-in-the-nation leader in universal preschool, free community college, automatic college admission, paid high school internships, affordable housing, urban farms, and next-gen transit. An appointed education and environment official for five governors of both parties, he served as California's representative to the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, vice chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and was appointed by President Obama to the national College Promise board to advance free community college across hundreds of cities and states. As chair of the Sacramento region's metropolitan planning organization, his pioneering work integrating transportation, land use, housing, environmental justice, and climate change won numerous national awards and became the foundation for some of California's most sweeping transportation and climate reforms. He also chaired the Jobs, Education & the Workforce Committee for America's mayors, represented the United States in the Global Parliament of Mayors, and served as inaugural chair of the national LGBTQ Mayors Alliance.

A passionate educator and fierce advocate who has demonstrated the power behind effective school counseling, college affordability, and higher education advocacy on behalf of all students. She is currently the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness for the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) and is a California governor-appointed Commissioner and Chair for the California Student Aid Commission and the Scholar Share Investment Board. Cifuentes also serves on various regional, state, and national committees and is the President of the Western Association of College Admissions Counseling (WACAC) and Vice President of the National College Attainment Network to have a voice in the decisions that affect our student’s access to quality education and a promising future. She was also the recipient of the 2018 WACAC Joe Allen Human Relations Award and 2021 Katy Murphy Service Award, the 2018 National Association of College Admission Counseling Inclusion, Access, and Success Award, and the 2019 RCOE Administrator of the Year. As a first-generation college graduate, Cifuentes strives to show the impact that can be made when educators have high expectations for all students and when students pursue their post-secondary dreams regardless of the odds against them.

Deborah Cochrane is the Bureau Chief of the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, which approves private colleges to operate in California and is home to the state’s Office of Student Assistance and Relief. She is an appointed member of the federal National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity and serves on the board of the National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Private Schools. Prior to joining the Bureau, Cochrane was the executive vice president of The Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit organization focused on pursuing student-centered public policies that promote affordability, accountability, and equity in higher education. She holds an MSW from San Francisco State University and a BA from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Nathan Evans serves as deputy vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the California State University Office of the Chancellor. His portfolio includes leadership of academic programs and strategic enrollment planning. He has also served in leadership posts in all three segments of public higher education in California—including San Diego State University, CSU San Marcos, the University of California, San Diego and the San Diego Community College District as well as Arizona State University. His leadership spans academic and student affairs across the postsecondary continuum, from early outreach and TRiO programs to graduate education. He serves as chair of the California College Guidance Initiative Advisory Board and chair of California’s Intersegmental Coordinating Council Executive Committee.

Chris Furgiuele is a Director in Institutional Research and Academic Planning (IRAP) at the University of California Office of the President. Chris leads IRAP’s work in the collection, analysis, and reporting of student outcomes data in support of university policymaking and information provision to public audiences. He has represented UC on the Cradle to Career Governing Board since 2021 and prior to that served on the Data System’s planning process workgroup. Prior to joining UC Chris worked as an evaluator of education and workforce programs at both the federal and state levels. Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ana Luz González-Vásquez is the Project Director of the POWER in Workforce in Workforce Development team at the UCLA Labor Center. At the Labor Center, she leads the expansion of workforce development initiatives, focusing on building a high road economy and achieving prosperity for all through research, education, evaluation, and coalition and movement building. For over 17 years, she has been conducting quantitative and qualitative research, employing a participatory and popular education approach to engage research participants in the conceptualization and production of knowledge. She co-authored several ground-breaking reports, including studies on the prevalence of wage theft and workplace violations among workers in low-wage industries, an analysis of transportation network companies in Los Angeles, and the first comprehensive study of day laborers and day labor worker centers across the nation. Ana Luz received a dual B.A. in Economics and Social Science with a specialization in Public and Community Service and a minor in Spanish from UCI. Ana Luz also holds a Master’s and Ph.D. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

As executive vice chancellor of the new Office of Innovation, Data, Evidence and Analytics, John J. Hetts, PhD, leads the development and delivery of information technology and security services, student-centered technology-focused initiatives, and evidence-based reporting and evaluation. A nationally recognized leader in intersegmental educational pathways in higher education, Hetts has spent the last two decades working to better understand and recognize student capacity to make certain that all students receive fair credit for their skills and the full opportunity to put those skills to use to achieve their educational goals and aspirations. He currently represents the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office as a Board Member of the Governing Board of the State of California Cradle to Career System, leads the statewide Student Metrics Advisory Committee, and has served as a member of the Multiple Measures Assessment Project research team, the Cradle to Career Research Subcommittee, both the University of California’s Standardized Testing Feasibility Steering Committee and Work Group, the California Guided Pathways Advisory Committee, and the AB 705 Implementation Workgroup, and has been both a California Education Policy Fellow and a Complete College America Fellow. Hetts earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University followed by a doctorate in social psychology with specializations in measurement and psychometrics as well as political psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin represents California's 42nd Assembly District, which includes portions of both Ventura and Los Angeles Counties; including all of Agoura Hills, Bel Air, Beverly Glen, Brentwood, Casa Conejo, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Lake Sherwood, Malibu, Moorpark, Oak Park, Pacific Palisades, Santa Susana, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Topanga, Westlake Village, and portions of Camarillo. Assemblymember Irwin currently chairs the Revenue & Taxation Committee, and is a member of the Agriculture Committee, Business & Professions Committee, Higher Education Committee, and the Privacy & Consumer Protection Committee. Assemblymember Irwin also chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity, and Co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on Cybersecurity. In addition to her work in the Assembly, Irwin has been appointed by the Assembly Speaker to serve on numerous boards and commissions, including the State Public Works Board and the Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board. Assemblymember Irwin holds a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from UC San Diego.

As California Competes's CEO, Dr. Su Jin Jez leads the organization's work to develop nonpartisan and financially pragmatic recommendations for improved higher education and workforce policies and practices across California. Prior to joining California Competes, she served as a professor of public policy and administration at California State University, Sacramento. She also served as the Director of the statewide CSU Student Success Network, Academic Advisor for the California Executive Fellows Program, and Associate Director of the Sacramento State Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She is currently a member of the Local Control Accountability Plan Committee for West Contra Costa Unified School District, where her children attend school.

Meredith Lee provides strategic guidance and leadership to advance research and education priorities in areas of impact such as health and medicine, climate and sustainability, and human welfare and social justice. She partners across and beyond campus to design and enable transformative collaboration opportunities, leveraging interdisciplinary experience from academia, industry, nonprofits, and government. She has taught human-centered design and innovation at Stanford and in government, and continues to advise organizations with efforts in technology, data science, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Lee is a California Senate appointee to the governing board of the Cradle-to-Career Data System, vice chair of the board of directors for the California Water Data Consortium, and a National Leadership Council member of the Society for Science and the Public. Lee holds bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection.

Jessica Moldoff, Ph.D., is the Deputy Director of Data, Analysis and Research at the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). As Deputy Director, Jessica is responsible for facilitating research on program effectiveness and financial aid administration, as well as overseeing reports, program projections, and ad hoc data requests. After graduating from undergrad, Jessica worked at a community college in Lexington, Kentucky, for over three years, including in its financial aid office. She received a Masters and PhD in Higher Education from the University of Kentucky, where she completed her dissertation on the idea and implementation of competency-based education. She then moved to California and has worked at CSAC since 2017.

Dr. Christopher J. Nellum is the Executive Director of EdTrust-–West, an evidence-driven advocacy organization committed to dismantling the racial and economic barriers embedded in the California education system through research, policy, and practice work. He has led successful advocacy efforts to make California’s TK-12 schools and colleges places that welcome, support, and champion the success of Black, Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native, and multilingual learner students. Before joining EdTrust–West, Dr. Nellum served in roles with the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Young Invincibles, and the American Council on Education. He cut his teeth in education equity on college campuses working directly with students. Dr. Nellum has worked in the education and advocacy field for nearly two decades, completed his undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara, master’s degree at CSU Long Beach, and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He is a respected thought leader, a sought-after speaker in California and nationally, and frequently writes and provides media commentary on issues of racial equity in education in outlets including Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, EdSource, and NBC News.

Javier Romero has over 25 years of experience in higher education and workforce development, which included a tenure of 14 years with the California Workforce Development Board. Prior to becoming the Deputy Director of the EDD Workforce Services Branch, his most recent experience was as a dean in the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Workforce and Economic Development Division for over 7 years. As a dean he oversaw California’s Adult Education Program, California Apprenticeship Initiative, as well as other programs. During his career, Javier has focused on issues related to organizing education and workforce development programs around regional economies, sector strategies, career pathways, expanding access to traditionally disadvantaged communities and non-traditional educational pathways. Javier has extensive knowledge of the complex interactions between public funded systems, programs and services. His leadership experience and knowledge of organization development concepts provides him a solid foundation to assess and manage complex organizational issues such as strategic planning, team development, and empowering staff.

As Chief Operations Officer, Greg Scull leads the California School Information Services (CSIS) in its mission to build local capacity in support of effective pupil information systems. CSIS encourages regional leadership in cultivating local best practices, increases transparency in state use of local data, and builds a variety of tools and modern software to serve the larger statewide educational data ecosystems, including CALPADS (California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System).

Brian began his legal career in the City Attorney's Office in Oakland as an Assistant City Attorney. He practiced as an insurance defense counsel for several years before transitioning to state service as a Staff Counsel at the Department of Insurance, were he served as an Assistant Chief Counsel and General Counsel. Brian continued his state service at the Department of Motor Vehicles as an Assistant Chief Counsel and was appointed to the position of General Counsel by Governor Brown. After 28 years in state service, Brian retired in August 2020; however, in the fall of 2021 Brian accepted a retired annuitant position at the California Privacy Protection Agency serving as the Agency’s initial Acting Chief Counsel and later as the Probable Cause hearing officer. Brian has worked on a wide variety of regulatory issues including: regulations governing Auto Insurance Premium Rating Factors, Autonomous Vehicle Testing and Deployment Without a Driver, Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants, and more recently the CPPA’s initial Privacy regulations. Brian has 2 adult children, Simone of Jacksonville, Florida and Sterling of Sacramento.

Erin Sullivan has been with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing since 2001 working in Licensure and then Government Relations before moving to the Professional Services Division in 2015, where she is currently the Director. Erin brings expertise of credentialing, standard-setting, accreditation, education policy, and the charge and positioning of the Commission in the state of California and nationally.

Liberty is the Director of the Education Data Management Division at the California Department of Education overseeing student and school-level data collection for California’s public TK-12 schools. Liberty holds an undergraduate degree in English from California State University, Chico and a graduate degree in Linguistics from the University of California, Davis. She previously served as the Department’s Foster Youth Data Liaison. Before joining the Department, Liberty worked for local educational agencies conducting research and evaluation and taught English as a Second Language at both the high school and post-secondary levels.

Tom Vu is the vice president for policy at the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), where he develops and manages the execution of AICCU’s agenda on state and federal policy. He leads the association’s federal advocacy efforts, assists in association management and board relation, and represents AICCU on the C2C Office Governing Board. Tom has been with AICCU for nearly 11 years, representing the independent higher education sector before the Legislature, Congress, and other policymaking bodies. He has spent his career in state policy and advocacy, including with the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Special Districts Association, and other nonprofit associations. Tom graduated with double bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science from UC San Diego, received his Master in Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California, and is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia.