Keetha Mills, President and Chief Executive Officer

At the world’s oldest university, a conversation about tradition changed how I think about innovation.

During the Food Frontier tour of Northern Italy, we visited the University of Bologna and learned that it began as an institution formed by students, for students. That history reminded me of FoundationCCC’s commitment to keeping students at the center of everything we do. One professor even described tradition as “a series of innovations.” 

That idea stayed with me. The things we value remain because people keep finding ways to carry them forward. Tradition depends on our willingness to evolve.

At FoundationCCC, we recognize that we must continuously innovate to meet the evolving needs of today’s and tomorrow’s students. Our commitment to students and our commitment to innovation aren’t separate; they are deeply connected.

Food, Relationships, and Community

Food Frontier is important because the future of food is really a story about the future of California: our economy, our workforce, our communities, our environment, and our capacity to innovate. California’s community colleges are uniquely positioned at the center of that future because they connect emerging innovation to the people, employers, and communities that need to put it into practice.

Experiencing the Food Frontier Tour and the Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto Slow Food festival in Turin alongside FoundationCCC Board Chair Patrick Mulvaney was a special experience. Seeing Patrick in his element and witnessing the depth and breadth of his relationships and connections was extraordinary. What struck me most was how naturally he brings people together and uses those relationships to make big things happen, connecting the dots across food, agriculture, culinary arts, education, manufacturing, and so much more.

The most memorable moment was watching Patrick cook alongside another chef he had never cooked with before, as the two seamlessly prepared a meal for about 200 delegates from across California. It was a great example of his ability to instantly build connections and create community.

Connecting Education and Industry

I saw strong parallels between Northern Italy and California in the pressures facing food producers, workers, and communities: rising costs, workforce challenges, climate pressures, and the need to innovate while preserving the value of local food economies.

In Italy, regional ecosystems serve as key connectors to producers, businesses, educators, researchers, government, and communities. We could adapt that model in California to our larger, technology-driven economy, with community colleges serving as regional hubs that connect workforce development, innovation, and economic opportunity.

We also learned about the intentional connection between education and industry through Italy’s ITS Academy (Istituto Tecnico Superiore) or advanced technical education model. Their programs are designed in partnership with employers and combine classroom learning with substantial hands-on experience in agri-food, manufacturing, tourism, and hospitality.  In fact, employers make up about 48% of ITS Academy partners; about 80% of ITS graduates are employed within a year, and 92.8% of those jobs were aligned with their field of study.

It made me think about the importance of California’s community colleges continuing to strengthen similar employer-connected pathways. These connections help bring emerging ideas into practice while preparing students for opportunities across the food economy.

Seeds of Opportunity

The Food Frontier experience, the lessons from Northern Italy, and our conversations about tradition, innovation, workforce, and education challenged me to look beyond what exists today and imagine what’s possible for California’s community colleges. But discovery only matters if it leads to action.

Turning discovery into action means bringing those insights home and translating them into partnerships, pilots, and opportunities we can test, measure, and scale. It could mean connecting community colleges more intentionally with food and agriculture employers, creating new work-based learning and innovation opportunities, and bringing together industry, educators, researchers, and communities to solve real problems.

What gives me hope is the scale, reach, and proximity of California’s community colleges to the people and communities at the center of our food system. They can bring together students, workers, employers, farmers, researchers, and innovators to develop the skills, ideas, and partnerships needed for a healthier and more sustainable food future.

Community colleges don’t just prepare people for existing jobs. They are partners in shaping what’s next – places where new ideas can be tested, talent can be developed, and innovation can move from possibility to practice.