As Inland Empire leaders look for ways to expand educational opportunity and strengthen the regional workforce, Cal State San Bernardino administrators, faculty and staff will share university strategies at the 2026 Toward a Shared Vision Summit.

The two-day summit, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 4-5, at the Riverside Convention Center, will bring together leaders from education, government, business and community organizations to discuss equitable outcomes across the cradle-to-career continuum.

CSUSB President Terri Gómez will join Ted Alejandre, San Bernardino County superintendent of schools and a CSUSB alumnus, and Michelle Decker, CEO of the Inland Empire Community Foundation, for the Wednesday, Nov. 4, fireside chat, “The Power of Us: Leading Through Partnership.”

The conversation, scheduled for 6:45 to 7:15 p.m., will examine how regional leaders can work across organizational boundaries, combine their strengths and share responsibility for advancing educational attainment and economic opportunity. The evening program runs from 6 to 8:15 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

CSUSB representatives also will lead two sessions on Thursday, Nov. 5, focused on career readiness and regional talent development.

Lesley Davidson-Boyd, associate vice president of Academic Success and Undergraduate Advising; Lua Lopez, faculty director of the Office of Community Engaged Learning; and Crystal Wymer-Lucero, director of Alumni Relations, will present “From First Year to First Job: A Replicable Career Readiness Pathway at CSUSB” from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m.

The presenters will discuss how CSUSB connects first-year career exploration, reflection, alumni engagement, advising and internships to help students identify and communicate their skills to employers. The session also will highlight the Coyote Career Ready Certificate, the Career Reflection Portfolio and Internship Awards supporting students in unpaid, course-based internships.

At 1 p.m., Tiffany Bitting, director of CSUSB Career Services, will participate in “One Region, One Talent Pipeline: Making Inland Empire Early Talent Easier to Recruit.” She will be joined by panelists Sean Gil, director of the UC Riverside Career Center, and Lisa Blair and Meriel Anderson-McDade.

The session will focus on the IE Career Services Leaders Collaborative, a partnership among nine Inland Empire colleges and universities. The collaborative is working to make it easier for employers, particularly small and midsized organizations, to connect with college talent across the region.

Presenters will discuss regional talent data, barriers to recruiting across multiple campuses and efforts to create a practical employer-access model that can be adapted by other regions.

The summit is hosted by Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), a nonprofit that works across Riverside and San Bernardino counties to advance educational attainment and socioeconomic mobility. GIA brings together education, community and industry partners, uses data to guide action and supports pathways to degrees, credentials and quality jobs.

GIA’s North Star goal is for at least 70% of working-age adults in the Inland Empire to hold a degree or credential aligned with regional workforce needs. The annual summit is designed to help regional partners align strategies, share solutions and build relationships that support student success and economic opportunity.