UNITE-LA is pleased to share that Kelly Reynolds, director of Education and Workforce Strategy & Policy at UNITE-LA, has been appointed as vice chair of the Education and Workforce Development Committee for the Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA).

On Dec. 8, UNITE-LA joined the Downtown L.A. Walking Tour hosted by the Select Committee on Downtown Revitalization, alongside Assemblymembers Matt Haney and Mark Gonzalez, representatives from Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove’s office and Councilmember Isabel Jurado.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, UNITE-LA's Kelly Reynolds and Adam Gottlieb traveled to Sacramento to host a briefing for legislative staffers on the K-16 Collaborative Grant Program in partnership with Capitol Impact.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, UNITE-LA hosted its final Education Means Business webinar of 2025 that focused on the state of early care and education amid budget cuts and financial challenges at the federal and state levels.

UNITE-LA had the pleasure of engaging in the California Economic Summit, which was attended by Gov. Gavin Newsom as well as several of the gubernatorial candidates.

At California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Dr. Amber Johnson often returns to a simple but transformative question: What would it look like if students experienced college as a place where they inherently belong, years before they ever apply? As an associate professor of Health Science and director of the Center for Health Equity Research, Dr. Johnson helped launch the Sankofa Summer Academy in partnership with CSULB’s College of Health and Human Services, the Sankofa Parent Village, and the Long Beach Unified School District’s (LBUSD) Black Student Excellence Center. As part of the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, convened by UNITE-LA, these partners came together to intentionally design an early pathway rooted in culture, belonging and opportunity. What began as a pilot effort has become a living example of how aligned systems can expand access and reimagine student futures.

On Dec. 17, colleagues from the LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy (Academy) were invited to join the Southern California Regional Energy Network's (SoCalREN) Regional Workforce Alliance meeting in Burbank, themed "SoCal’s Talent Pipeline: Converting Entertainment Skill Sets into Energy Sector Opportunities." The event served as an opportunity to spotlight the goals of the Academy and connect with leaders from the entertainment industry, higher education and the clean energy sector, including leaders from Woodbury University.

On Dec. 11, UNITE-LA's Geraldine Contreras-Jaimerena, Daniel De La Luz and Pam Williams attended the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Cleantech Academy fall 2025 graduation ceremony, held at the Los Angeles Kretz Innovation Campus. The event was an opportunity for UNITE-LA and LADWP to celebrate six Cleantech alumnae, Andrea Rosas (Spring 2025), Emily Wang (Spring 2025), Camrien Cooper (Fall 2024), Heather Middleton-Fields (Fall 2024), Jennifer Gutierrez (Spring 2023) and Miho Tago (Fall 2023), who completed their 10-week summer internship program.

Last month, UNITE-LA partnered with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) to support the Road to 2028 Leadership Summit, underscoring UNITE-LA's shared commitment to building a strong, equitable clean energy workforce for Los Angeles. UNITE-LA’s participation reflected our ongoing investment in the LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy and collaboration with LACI to advance high-road career pathways in the cleantech sector. The summit convened public and private sector leaders across clean energy, transportation, innovation and policy to accelerate progress toward a zero-emission future leading up to and beyond the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, scholars of the LA Regional Cleantech Career Academy (Academy) celebrated their graduation at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, marking the completion of a transformative career-readiness journey. Fifty-seven students successfully completed the program, with 52 scholars in attendance to receive their certificates alongside peers, mentors and program leaders.