Editor’s Note: Tim Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee, co-founded the financial software firm MeridianLink in 1998, which went public and was sold in November in a $2 billion deal. Nguyen won a Business Journal Innovator of the Year award in 2021. Doug Wilson is the co-founder of the CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC).
In 1919, Branch Rickey revolutionized baseball by creating the modern farm system, a structured player development pipeline that transformed the St. Louis Cardinals from a small-market team into a powerhouse.
Rickey understood that sustained success required growing talent from within rather than competing for it once it was fully formed.
A century later, Orange County faces a similar inflection point. Our economic competitiveness depends on whether we cultivate—not simply recruit—a workforce fluent in AI and equipped with the adaptable, human-centered skills that will define tomorrow’s industries. The next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders are already sitting in our classrooms. What’s needed now is a coordinated effort between education and business to build the “farm system” for Orange County’s future workforce.
AI in the Classroom
Employers no longer just need workers who can use AI—they need thinkers who understand how it works, can solve problems creatively with it and can adapt as technology evolves. The foundation of that fluency must be built in K-12 education.
Forward-thinking school districts across Orange County are already laying the groundwork. They are proving that AI integration—done thoughtfully—does more than improve instruction. It fuels curiosity, builds durable skills and strengthens the local talent pipeline that will power the region’s economy for decades to come.
Anaheim: Personalizing Learning
The Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) is demonstrating how public education can prepare students for an AI-driven economy at scale. Rather than adding fragmented technology tools, the district has invested in modern infrastructure and an integrated learning platform that unifies data and personalizes instruction. This next-generation learning platform secures and centralizes data to enable AI and drive personalized learning, giving students agency over their learning.
– Results that Matter: AUHSD students graduate at high rates and when they go to colleges like UCI, they outperform peers in GPA and retention—proof that personalized, technology-enhanced learning builds both readiness and resilience.
– Real-World Preparation: Through partnerships with many local businesses and global leaders like Google, AUHSD students engage in AI-supported, work-based learning experiences that connect classroom learning to real industry needs. Their AI-powered “Career Advisor and Tutor,” which is beginning to be implemented, will give every student 24/7 access to academic help, career pathways, wage data and mentorship opportunities. As a result, more students will be positioned to get well-paid tech jobs after high school.
– Human Skills at the Center: The district’s focus on the “5 Cs”—Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking and Compassion—ensures that technology amplifies, rather than replaces, the qualities that make great leaders, teams and great companies thrive.
The success of the AUHSD model reflects its dynamic leadership. Outgoing Superintendent Michael Matsuda and incoming Superintendent Jaron Fried have been recognized as national leaders in transforming public education. Both leaders have actively promoted the use of AI as an equalizer, a tool for deeper learning, encourage civic engagement and promote equity. Their pioneering efforts have set a high standard for both the region and the nation.
Westminster: Starting the Pipeline Early
At the elementary and middle school level, Westminster School District, under Dr. Gunn Marie Hansen, is showing that AI readiness starts early. The district is providing comprehensive training for teachers to explore AI tools in greater depth. By deploying an AI co-pilot for teachers that automates planning and administrative tasks, Westminster is giving educators more time to build meaningful connections with students. Students gain 24/7 personalized AI tutors, while parents receive valuable insights to support their child’s success that deepen engagement at home. Westminster’s classrooms use AI to teach algorithmic thinking through games, introduce discussions on bias and ethics, and connect learning to future careers—all while grounding innovation in human connection. This early exposure builds curiosity and confidence, ensuring that every child sees themselves as part of the region’s future workforce.
OC Department of Education
At the county level, Dr. Stefan Bean’s 5-3-1 Strategic Plan makes AI one of five key levers for advancing educational excellence. His vision goes beyond technology adoption to embedding AI as a framework for teaching emotional intelligence, expanding career technical education and scaling innovation across districts.
The plan’s focus on systems alignment—linking AI fluency to social-emotional learning, career exploration and civic engagement—positions Orange County as a national model for how regional education ecosystems can adapt to the future of work.
Building the Modern “Farm System” for Talent
Business leaders have an equally critical role to play. Doug Wilson, CLAOC co-founder, and co-founder and CEO of the National Talent Collaborative, is building that modern farm system. One that directly links schools and employers. His organization works to create structured pathways that connect high school and college students to real-world projects, internships and mentorship opportunities with local businesses.
The model Wilson is advocating mirrors Rickey’s original insight: cultivate talent before it reaches the major leagues. In this case, Orange County’s schools are the farm system, developing AI-fluent, career-ready students and its businesses are the major league, ready to welcome a generation of homegrown innovators.
Navigating the Hurdles: “Pilot Purgatory”
The journey of AI adoption in schools is not without its challenges. The widespread access to generative AI tools has led to a new wave of pilot purgatory for districts. This purgatory refers to the common scenario in which schools experiment with various AI tools without successfully implementing a cohesive district-wide strategy. The result is often
fragmentation, wasted resources and a minimal overall impact as schools fail to convert from a “pilot” to full-scale adoption.
To overcome this issue, schools need strong leadership, effective technology platforms and strategies that systematically integrate AI into teaching and learning practices across all grade levels and subjects. These platforms should deliver an enjoyable user experience and seamlessly collect data that drives personalized education, not be “just one more thing” that teachers have to deal with.
The Infrastructure for Alignment
To support this next-generation ecosystem, the eKadence Learning Foundation is building the connective tissue between students, teachers and industry. Its learning platform integrates AI-powered learning with career exploration and teacher development, ensuring that classroom innovation translates into workforce readiness. This type of infrastructure helps educators focus on relationships and relevance, while providing businesses with a reliable view of emerging talent and skills.
A Call to Action: Collective Leadership
The message for Orange County’s business and education leaders is clear: our competitiveness depends on whether we invest together in AI fluency and human capacity now. Schools like Anaheim Union High School District, Westminster School District and those under OCDE’s leadership are showing what’s possible. So is the CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County. But sustained success will require alignment between classrooms and boardrooms, between learning and earning, between innovation and inclusion.
We must move beyond pilots and promises toward scalable partnerships that cultivate local talent, connect students directly to meaningful work, and ensure that Orange County remains a place where businesses grow because people thrive.
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