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Welcome to OC Leader Wire A bi-monthly update from CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County Hello, This month's OC Leader Wire highlights a significant new initiative with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will be critical for the success of CLAOC's 3-5 year employer-led plan to build out OC as a tech talent hub. The collaboration also signals a major push to serve our members through a deeper exploration of skills based hiring around AWS cloud based certifications. When successfully implemented it will result in an expanded and more diverse talent pool for employers. It also opens more tech opportunities for 60% of the OC population that are without BA degrees. In addition, we describe a new round of Career Exploration Experiences (CEEs) that start in June to give over 200, mainly underserved, high school students a chance to be mentored by company employees and explore higher paying career pathways. Company commitments have been made to date by EY, CHOC, UCI, Ingram Micro, Medtronic, Skyworks, Ware Malcomb, Tangram Interiors, TTM Technologies, 7 Leaves, BNY Mellon, LPA Design Studios, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, LensGen, plus critical financial support from PIMCO. Others are in discussion before the April 7 deadline. Creating pathways to higher paying jobs in OC is vital to our future. As Joel Kotkin from Chapman recently noted, "This is a generation in which entrance to the middle class is increasingly blocked." Closing the skills gap is emerging nationwide as one of the few issues that transcends politics. Stakeholders across the political spectrum are working together. We hope this issue prompts you to reflect on ways to engage with CLAOC's vision and mission. To a thriving OC for all, Mark Percy President CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County

CLAOC and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced an initiative to introduce AWS cloud computing education modules and other curriculum at the high school, community college, and university levels in Orange County, with the outcome of training and certifying 4,000 students over the next five years. Working in concert with CLAOC's education partners, this initiative represents an innovative public-private partnership to enable more Orange County residents to access high demand, well-paid job opportunities in our growing innovation economy.

Over 100 people joined CLAOC's Future of Workforce Summit, bringing together industry leaders, educators, students, and stakeholders from across Orange County, California to share how CLAOC is leading talent pipeline development in Orange County. The Summit included the unveiling of CLAOC's Talent Leadership Advisory Board's (TLAB) Regional Talent and Innovation Dashboard, a first-in-kind dashboard designed to measure how the OC region is cultivating a sustainable talent pipeline for high-wage/demand careers that will lead to a thriving OC for all. Keynote, Derek Kirk from the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, kicked things off. Additional guest speakers included CLAOC partners AWS, Intel, Google, UCI, REDDS Capital, Loko AI, Ingram Micro, Diag USA, Futuro Health, McKinsey & Company, and NVIDIA.

After last summer's successful proof-of-concept pilot, CLAOC is now set to expand the CEE program, seeking to at least double the number of participating companies and students served this summer. Commitments for 2022 participation are being finalized now and due by Thursday April 7. The CEE provides students with the opportunity to explore careers, develop new technical skills, gain practical work experience, and refine their professional skills as they work in small teams to complete one or more specific micro-projects, typically 24 - 32 hours in duration. In 2021, more than 100 high school rising seniors in Orange County participated with our member companies in the first CEE series. The feedback from the pilot effort was remarkable, with 95% of our industry partners reporting they would participate again or recommend to others, and participating students reporting a deeper insight to professional opportunities and development of their own goals, along with a greater sense of academic purpose and confidence. A variety of turn-key opportunities have been developed for companies to host this summer, and we invite you to contact our own Amy Kaufman for more information.

In this latest blog, CLAOC Chairman Doug Wilson interviews Manny Roman, CEO of Newport Beach investment giant PIMCO. They discuss leadership and philanthropy, and how Roman's intellectual curiosity and appreciation for diverse perspectives shape his outlook.

In support of its goal to establish Orange County as a global hub for AI talent and industry, CLAOC has established strategic alliances with global partners including the Taiwanese Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (TEEMA). Both organizations look forward to areas of future collaboration, information exchange and opportunities for industrial cooperation. Click below for more about TEEMA's mission and activities.

New Executive Committee Member Harley Rouda CEO, Trident Holdings Inc. New General Members Michael Colglazier CEO, Virgin Galactic Michael Corbo President & CEO, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Juliana Elstad CEO, Vibrato Medica Thomas Hopson President, Bioplate, Inc. Edward Mora Market President, BNY Mellon Wealth Management

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