On a sunny day in 1969, then-Governor Ronald Reagan joined the mayor and other leaders in an empty field on the far, far outskirts of Bakersfield for the groundbreaking of a future Cal State campus. On that historic day of promise, the governor told our community elders that “they have a clean page. What is written on that page depends on the people here.”

CSUB has filled that page and volumes more with accomplishments that the people who fought for this campus so long ago could never have imagined. But we were not alone in our success then, and we are not alone in our success now. In fact, we owe our very existence to this community’s belief that giving our children access to higher education is the key to progress and prosperity for all.

That spirit of unity will guide my leadership of the Board of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce in 2026, a year that heralds tantalizing opportunities for small businesses, new enterprises and job creation.

One major focus of my leadership -understandably – will be education. The correlation between the number of college degrees and a region’s success is undeniable. But we recognize that in order to be a source of new beginnings for the entire community, CSUB must offer more than the traditional four-year degree. In that spirit, we are launching more certification and training programs – including in the ever-expanding world of AI – for people already in the workforce who wish to become leaders in their fields.

Leading the charge of progress in this community with data-driven science and cutting-edge research are our brilliant professors, as well as CSUB’s 60,000-plus alumni, who are this state’s biggest success stories.

But who will be this region’s success stories of tomorrow? One thing is certain: Those visionary leaders are already here in our community. The task before us is to identify them, nurture them and give them the tools to succeed.

To my fellow board members and the amazing Chamber staff: Cheers to an auspicious 2026.

Now let’s get started!