Regional Talent Networks Funder Impact Summit: Transformative Initiatives in College and Workforce Advancement
Dallas, TX – The second annual Funder Impact Summit, hosted by Economic Mobility Systems in partnership with The Greater Texas Foundation, Commit Partnership, Educate Texas, and the Rural Community College Alliance, took place at the Dallas Regional Chamber on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
The future of the Texas economy depends on our collective ability to solve the talent gap, and the recent passage of House Bill 8 provides an outcomes focused path forward. The Summit was created as a space where regional education leaders and college presidents come together to celebrate and share best practices in their collective community impact on college and workforce outcomes. The Funder Impact Summit featured three powerful panel discussions:
Spotlight San Antonio featured Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of Alamo Colleges District, and Dr. Emily Calderon-Galdeano, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer with UP Partnership, moderated by Chris Coxon, Managing Director of Educate Texas. UP Partnership announced having raised $114 million to fuel progress toward their North Star goal of increasing the percentage of Bexar County high school grads enrolling in a post-secondary degree or credential program to 70% by the year 2030. Alamo Colleges in its 5th year of their AlamoPROMISE program, providing tuition-free college access to 73 San Antonio area high schools. Their enrollment has grown 24% over the last decade due to the success of AlamoPROMISE, dual credit partnerships, and expanded workforce education programs.
The Texas Policy Panel with Community Colleges featured Dr. Jeremy McMillen, President, Grayson College, Dr. Greg Williams, President, Odessa College, and Dr. Ricardo Solis, President, South Texas College. The panel was moderated by Ray Martinez, President and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Colleges. Grayson College is in the second year of the Texoma Promise and has seen a 2% year over year regional college enrollment growth on top of a 10% growth the previous year. Odessa College is launching the Wrangler Promise for the high school graduating class of 2024, and South Texas College is actively planning a Promise Program launch aligned to training pathways connected to the needs of labor markets.
And the final panel featured Todd Williams, CEO and Chairman of The Commit Partnership, and Natalie Williams, Executive Director of Tarrant To and Through Partnership (T3), moderated by Rosye Cloud, Executive Vice President of College Promise. Commit launched the Dallas County Promise in 2018 and it now serves 82 high schools and impacts more than 27,000 students per year. And T3 enabled a 28% increase in post-secondary enrollment with Tarrant Community College.
The event celebrated impact funding partners including Greater Texas Foundation, JPM Chase, Communities Foundation of Texas, Commit Partnership, Ascendium, Trellis Foundation, The Ballmer Group, Texas Pioneer Foundation, and the Rural Community College Alliance as well as recognizing outstanding colleges including Grayson College, North Central Texas College, South Texas College, and Tyler Junior College. These institutions exemplify dedication and excellence in advancing economic mobility across the state of Texas.
“We are thrilled to have convened such a dynamic group of leaders, partners, and advocates committed to advancing economic mobility and opportunity across our communities,” said Dr. Eric Ban, Executive Director of Economic Mobility Systems. “The summit not only showcased innovative initiatives and collaborative efforts but also underscored the collective commitment to creating pathways to success for all individuals.”
The Regional Talent Networks Funder Impact Summit marks a significant milestone in the ongoing journey toward greater and more equitable college and workforce outcomes aligned to regional talent needs. As communities continue to work together, the impact of these collective efforts promises to shape a brighter future for generations to come.