Launching a Public Sector Startup

There's been tremendous buzz about tech IPOs over the past few months. Everyone is looking at the unicorns making it big on Wall Street (or not). But what if there were a way to launch and scale a new venture that had all the benefits of a startup—the innovation and invention and velocity—with all the benefits of public sector stability? Is it possible to act like a startup while working for all the residents of the great state of California?

In short: yes. And it's happening now. Today.

I’m now nearly five months into the job as President and CEO of California’s first statewide, competency-based, online community college and, as a public-sector start-up, we've reached our first major milestone: tonight we launch our new name and brand identity. Welcome to Calbright College.

There are millions of working adults in California and throughout the country who are juggling multiple challenges like raising children, and caring for elderly parents or grandparents. There are so many people who feel the squeeze of low wages, the strain of no healthcare coverage, and the stress of out of control expenses, and debilitating debt with no end in sight. I hear their stories all the time, stories like my friend Lisa’s.

Lisa and I attended the same high school. Although we did not share any classes (she wasn't able to be in any Advanced Placement courses), she was my study buddy, meaning she escorted me to our favorite all-night diner on too many evenings to count, just to make sure I did my homework. Lisa still lives in Santa Barbara, where we attended high school, and until a couple of years ago, she was employed as a full-time phlebotomist with benefits—until she was laid off. She almost lost her home while she was unemployed for just over a year, barely surviving on unemployment insurance. She never completed community college as it never was quite the right fit for her, and now at 51 years of age she drives a school bus. She has yet to regain benefits.

Lisa is exactly the kind of person who would benefit from one of our programs, which are focused on learning and achieving specific competencies, tied to real jobs. She never excelled in traditional educational environments, but she has always been the most diligent employee on the job. Lisa really misses being of service and working in the healthcare industry, and we can help. We’re aiming to provide real skills for people where they’re at so they can achieve industry-recognized certifications and get upwardly mobile jobs with employers who are excited to welcome them.

We're building what we call, in the venture-backed start-up world, a new double-sided platform, where supply (qualified and prepared workers) meets demand (employers with great, stable jobs). Getting this right will have implications for our economy, our business community, our neighborhoods, California families all over the state, and for individuals who just need the right kind of training to get on that first rung of the ladder of opportunity.

Like any start-up, these last months haven't been easy. No one is getting sleep. People are moving fast and working hard. But it's a labor of love. And we're all motivated by the opportunity to achieve real impact at scale in the lives of potentially millions of underemployed and struggling working Californians.

Not only is it gratifying to build an organization comprised of committed, collaborative, and smart people, but now as I travel around the state and build partnerships with members of labor unions, employers, educators, community-based advocates and other folks, I realize this is so much larger than the small team of Calbright employees.

This is a movement we are building — one focused on closing equity gaps, income inequality and disparities of opportunity. This is a chance to lift real people up. A chance to make a difference.

I am inspired by the diversity of people who are joining our movement every day. And along the way, I'm excited by the opportunity to face down online education companies who saddle the folks we're serving with crushing student loan debt, with no job to help pay for it. We will serve our working adult learners for free.

I'm also proud to bring employers along, to show them the way to invest in fellow, less fortunate Californians. Employers see the benefits of cultivating a new, prepared, highly-qualified workforce that can take the millions of jobs they struggle fill each year. They totally get what we're doing and are eager to support our mission and join our movement.

You can, too. Join me in growing Calbright; a college that’s not just online, but a college of connection. Calbright connects employers with ready, willing, and able employees. Calbright connects learners with free training, coaching, and career supports. Let’s grow Calbright together.