At the 65th Annual Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) + LMI Institute Conference on May 30, 2025, the Central Valley Mother Lode Center of Excellence (CVML COE) delivered a session showcasing their data dashboards. Presenters included Patty Salinas (District Director), Ignacio Faria (Senior Research and Planning Analyst), and Angela Steitz (Program Specialist).

The session began with staff introductions, overview and functionality of the COE. Followed by the origin and purpose of the dashboards, emphasizing their role in supporting community colleges with program-specific data and key performance indicators (KPIs). The team outlined how these tools help colleges access vital information to guide decision-making and improve student outcomes.

A live demonstration of several dashboards was provided, offering attendees a user-focused walkthrough. One of the highlights was the Program Success Metrics dashboard, which sparked a discussion on the benefits and limitations of using Tableau as a platform. The team also discussed a variety of data sources and platforms, comparing their respective strengths.

Another key tool presented was the Self-Sufficiency Wage dashboard, which estimates the income needed for families to meet basic living standards—an important resource for college planning and workforce alignment.

Audience engagement was encouraged through a live dashboard survey, helping the COE team gauge attendees’ data proficiency. The session was concluded by sharing additional COE resources and tools available for ongoing data support.

To stay updated on the CVML COE’s work, readers are encouraged to explore the CVML COE news posts and subscribe to quarterly newsletters.