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From The Executive Director
Jason Schwenkler
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Welcome to the Collective Voice, your quarterly glimpse into the work we’ve been up to here at the North State Planning and Development Collective (the Collective). Our research, economic development and GIS mapping teams are hard at work on projects designed to support the health of the North State while supporting student success at Chico State. You’ll get a look at some of these projects and more in our recently released Annual Report and on our new website.
2025 is off to a busy start. Last month, we hosted our 25th Annual Economic Forecast Conference on campus. The event drew more than 300 leaders in business, education, government, workforce and economic development together you can get a look at what you missed in this article featured on Chico State Today. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the latest developments of the North State Region CA Jobs First initiative, including the announcement of 23 North State projects that were awarded $9 million through CA Jobs First Catalyst funding. This significant boost to regional economic development will support some of our most under-resourced, underserved communities by funding pre-development activities on projects that support the health of the North State region. Watch for details coming your way soon.
In this issue, you’ll learn more about our workforce development and forestry-sector job placement activities as part of the Good Jobs Challenge grant in conjunction with the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. You’ll also read more about our collaboration with Chico State’s North State Rural Student Ambassador Program, get a brief update on our vegetation mapping activities across California and more.
At the Collective, we love finding solutions. If you have a University or community project in need of grant writing, scoping, research or GIS services, give me a call. I’d love to brainstorm how we might help.
Sincerely,
Jason
Jason Schwenkler jschwenkler@csuchico.edu
Executive Director, North State Planning and Development Collective California State University, Chico
www.nspdc.csuchico.edu
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Chico State's Student Ambassadors and the Collective Elevate Youth Engagement
Chico State's North State Student Ambassador Program is a team of students supporting young people from rural areas of Northern California. The program works to share the strengths of the students’ hometown places and to enhance connections between the communities with Chico State. Students collaborate to increase rural student connection, amplify rural student voice, and make sure that both rural students and non-rural students see the strengths that rural students bring to the college experience.
This year, the Collective engaged the Student Ambassador program with its 25th Annual Economic Forecast Conference held in January 2025 at the Bell Memorial Union on the Chico State campus. Student Ambassadors introduced campus leadership, highlighted their research activities, and networked with North State leadership.
The Collective strives to elevate North State youth voice, and the conference is just the first step. Through its work and in partnership with other regional initiatives (like the K-16 Collaborative, Good Jobs Challenge and North State Jobs First), the Collective will intentionally provide opportunities for North State youth to be present in regional discussions, for youth to elevate their goals, and for youth to participate in events and other community gatherings. Elevating youth voice in rural communities is crucial for empowering the younger generation to take an active role in shaping their futures.
Photo: Jason Schwenkler (far left) and President Steve Perez (far right) pose with Student Ambassadors Cyanna Iñiguez, Veronica Ulloa, Waylon Miller, Brynna Garcia. (Jason Halley / University Photographer)
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The Collective Partners to Bring Ag Education to the North State
Nearly 50 members of the agricultural community took part in an Ag Finance Workshop hosted by the Collective and regional partners in an effort to enhance capacity and provide education and trainings to foster the long-term growth and sustainability of the agricultural sector in the North State.
Presentations included Key Ratios for Agricultural Finance by Tim Peters, Business Accounting Manager from Morrison and a one-hour moderated panel titled Loans, Grants, and Support for Growth. Colleen Cecil, Executive Director of the Butte County Farm Bureau served as moderator, with panel members as follows:
- Dan Zuno, Relationship Manager, 3CORE
- Sarah DeForest, Grant's Manager, Morrison
- Mark Edwards, Senior Vice President, Chico Commercial Lending, Tri Counties Bank,
- Carrie Ellinwood, Deputy District Director, Sacramento District Office, Small Business Administration
- Alfredo Gonzalez, Loan Officer, CA FarmLink
The AG Finance workshop was done in partnership with EDA, USDA Smart Farm and Southwest Regional Food Business Center projects, SEDC's NIFA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program and Golden State Farm Credit. Partners who helped with development, outreach and delivering the program included: Butte County Farm Bureau, 3CORE, Morrison, Siskiyou EDC, California FarmLink, the Small Business Administration, Tri Counties Bank, and the Butte College Small Business Development Center (SBDC). For additional information about upcoming training opportunities, contact Heather McCafferty, Program Manager at the Collective at hmccafferty@csuchico.edu.
Collective team members (l-r) Janae Bartolome, Research Assistant II and Isabell Calderon, Research Assistant 1, provided valuable support at the event and had the opportunity to engage first-hand with community members and leaders in ag finance.
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Resilient Careers in Forestry Program--Bringing Skilled Workers to the Forestry Sector and Supporting Tribal Engagement
As one of eight grant partners of a 2022 $21.5 million Good Jobs Challenge Award to the Foundation for California Community Colleges, The Collective, alongside the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve at Chico State, is supporting a four-year project to help scale a system to place qualified workers into high-quality jobs in the forestry sector, responding to urgent needs to build economic and climate resilience in California’s forested, rural communities.
The program is in full swing, actively bringing skilled workers to the Forestry sector. During the 4th quarter of 2024, 17 of the new participants scheduled for Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) training: the first training in our list of fire-related training programs. The FFT2 training consists of S-130, S-190, and L180 certificates. Current participants had the opportunity to earn their RT-130 Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher certification in October. This certificate maintains the validity of the FFT2 certification. In addition, participants gained more experience in Advanced Fire Trainings through their participation in the Butte Cal-TREX events. Participants at TREX earn additional certifications, gain hands-on experience with fire, learn more about fire behavior, use fire as a tool, and networking opportunities with professionals representing different agencies and organizations.
The Good Jobs Challenge funding has facilitated an increase in the capacity for Tribal engagement. This expansion has led to enhanced staffing dedicated to outreach and engagement with Tribes on fire-related opportunities. This includes:
● Recruitment of Tribal-focused positions by Chico State Enterprises to engage with Tribes within the 12-County Service region of Chico State.
Strengthening Tribal Partnerships through Wildfire Training: The initiative has maintained and strengthened relationships with Tribal partners by
● Providing wildfire training awareness and support.
● Creating fire-related jobs that benefit the Tribal community.
Recruitment of Tribal-Focused Positions: Chico State Enterprises is actively recruiting for positions that focus on Tribal engagement in fire-related opportunities, such as those funded
through the Good Jobs Challenge.
If you are an employer within the Forestry sector and are seeking workers, email Gary Day at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve gday2@csuchico.edu to inquire about recent graduates.
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Businesses Benefit From Grant-funded Technical Assistance Programs Led By The Collective
Eligible businesses can take advantage of a variety of technical assistance programs offered through the Collective. Services include website development and optimization, customer demographic reports, customer spending reports, funding and market research, social media campaigns and more. Technical Assistance is provided through a variety of partnering agencies. Email Heather McCafferty at hmccafferty@csuchico.edu to learn more.
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Technical Assistance Spotlight: New Two Farms www.newtwofarms.com
Located in Oroville, California with a second location in Fresno County, New Two Farms embodies a commitment to excellence and community empowerment. Owner Courtney Ellington, a dedicated U.S. Army veteran, shares a profound passion for agriculture and support for her community, New Two Farms focuses on cultivating high-quality organic produce. This includes Thompson grapes, organic raisins, cold-pressed juices, and seasonal vegetables, using regenerative farming practices to provide fresh, healthy options for the community. Staff at the Collective provided Technical Assistance to the farm in the areas of market research for her value-added products, as well as website updates and social media templates.
In addition to its agricultural endeavors, New Two Farms offers a training program designed for beginning farmers. This initiative aims to equip aspiring farmers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the agricultural sector, fostering growth and innovation within the community. With a strong belief in collaboration and support, New Two Farms looks forward to contributing positively to the agricultural landscape while empowering the community and promoting regenerative practices.
To learn more about how the Collective might help your business or organization, email Heather McCafferty at hmmcafferty@csuchico.edu.
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Collective Continues to Support Career Pathways Through K-16 Collaborative – Building Better Butte
North State Together (NST) at Shasta College continues its collaboration to build educational and vocational pathways that are responsive to local needs and retain the talent in our region. Through the Regional K-16 Education Collaborative Grant, the Collective is a partner supporting integrating data collection approaches, and as the lead for the Building Better Butte Network. Butte is one of the ten counties represented in the NST Network. The approach to this work is founded upon five overarching goals, each with interim targets and timelines to gauge progress and momentum and allow for formative continuous quality improvement:
•Goal 1: Increase college and career readiness, post-secondary enrollment, and post-secondary completion among students at all K-12 districts throughout the region.
•Goal 2: Create occupational pathway programs in healthcare and education which are high-demand fields essential to our rural communities.
•Goal 3: Bolster regional economy by training skilled workers.
•Goal 4: Support data-driven decision making by establishing cradle-to-career data that is clear, timely,
and actionable.
•Goal 5: Streamline priorities, practices, and policies across systems and the region to create seamless transitions between educational institutions and/or the workforce.
The Building Better Butte Network (Butte Network) is a committee comprised of partners representing CSU, Chico, Butte College, Tribal leadership, Butte County Office of Education, private sector health, and nonprofit organizations.
Currently, the NST and Collective Teams are developing shared data dashboards to be used as a resource tool supporting students in the education decision-making process. The Butte Network encourages collaboration between K-12, the Community College system and Chico State to best meet the needs of the North State workforce development.
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Butte County Collaborative Group Unites to Address Forest Health Issues, Resources
The purpose of the Butte County Collaborative Group (BCCG) is to establish a forum for members and stakeholders to address forest health issues, develop sustainable management strategies and resource opportunities. The Collective built an online presence for the group which includes a Countywide Project Tracker which stores and supports the geodata associated with CWPP and other projects, past, present, and future. The BCCG adopts the principles and strategies detailed in the WUI Pre- and Post-Fire Action Plan (2021), the Butte Forested Watersheds Plan (2022), the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and the Butte County General and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. For more information about the group, visit them online.
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COMING IN 2025...
7TH Annual VIRTUAL Broadband Summit
Learn more about broadband initiatives in the North State region from leaders in the industry.
Registration and additional available soon. For additional information, contact Sabrina Oregel at saoregel@csuchico.edu.
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March 30 Cesar Chavez Celebration Hosted by the North State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Collective is pleased to support the upcoming Cesar Chavez celebration, planned for Sunday, March 30, 2025 at the Westport building in Chico. For additional information, please see flyer (right).
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