2023 is a momentous year for UNITE-LA as we celebrate 25 years of what is possible when a community prioritizes partnerships and collaboration to promote economic mobility.  As President, I'm proud of what we've accomplished together, and what we're poised to achieve in the next quarter century as we advance policies, practices and systems that strengthen anti-racism and equitable education and workforce outcomes from cradle through career.

UNITE-LA was founded in 1998 when the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District and City of Los Angeles saw the need for an organization to serve as a trusted intermediary to better meet the needs of our region's youth.

The organization's impact has resonated throughout Los Angeles, from 15 years of advancing shared goals through the L.A. Compact, to advocating for cradle-through-career policy priorities, to serving 300,000 youth through L.A. Cash for College and advancing career pathways in high growth sectors such as health care and technology.

UNITE-LA's footprint has continually grown and evolved. Our systems change work has expanded from local to regional, our policy team is deeply engaged in statewide advocacy, and our national work, in partnership with the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), over the past decade, has engaged hundreds of chambers in advancing equitable education and workforce development outcomes for those facing significant barriers throughout the country.

As we look to the future, the organization is energized to advance our three major growth areas in systems, policy and programs. In systems, the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative aims to close postsecondary attainment and workforce gaps for BIPOC students, beginning with a focus on streamlined pathways to health care, engineering and computer science careers. In policy, our business engagement efforts have expanded to official partnerships with 12 organizations and a growing network of more than 30 chamber and industry associations, as UNITE-LA works to leverage a broader advocacy base to advance our mission. In programs, we are launching the Avantus Cleantech Career Academy at the height of the clean energy transformation, building pathways for an inclusive workforce in this growing sector.

Additionally, UNITE-LA continues to develop and advance numerous strategic partnerships, including co-convening the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) Consortium with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. LA DEAL is a collaborative, community-driven process to assess and tackle the broadband gaps that exist in both urban and rural communities across the region.

This commitment to collaborative community building and servant leadership starts with our board of directors, which now includes our founding president, and reverberates throughout our long-tenured team of 40 staff members, with the senior team boasting an average tenure of more than a decade.

We are honored to continue our commitment to this important work with longstanding stakeholders as well as new partners, as we co-create the conditions that result in equitable education and workforce outcomes across our region, state and throughout the country. Please join us in celebrating throughout 2023 as we honor our collective past and build momentum towards our collaborative future.

Alysia Bell
President,
UNITE-LA