Our Partners

Educating Young Minds (EYM)

Lead Educational Partner

Educating Young Minds (EYM) serves as the lead educational partner for Career Ready SoCal, bringing decades of expertise in academic intervention, workforce preparation, mentorship, and whole-child development to support underserved youth and young adults. As the lead partner, EYM is responsible for designing and implementing the program's AI Career Pathways component, integrating technology, workforce readiness, career exploration, and future-focused learning experiences that prepare participants for emerging industries and evolving labor markets.

In addition, EYM leads Phase I of Career Ready SoCal's foundational learning model, providing targeted support to address academic learning gaps—particularly in mathematics, literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving—to ensure participants are adequately prepared for success in Construction, Green Technology, Health Services, and AI-related career pathways. Grounded in a non-judgmental, culturally responsive, and supportive learning environment, EYM helps participants build confidence, strengthen foundational competencies, and develop the self-advocacy skills necessary for long-term success.

Beyond Career Ready SoCal, EYM provides a comprehensive range of services including academic tutoring, college and career readiness, STEM/STEAM enrichment, coding and technology education, SAT/ACT preparation, mentoring, scholarship support, financial literacy, counseling resources, social-emotional support, and virtual and in-person programming designed to holistically support the academic, social, emotional, and professional trajectories of historically underserved communities. (educatingyoungminds.org)

Fathers and Mothers Who Care (FMWC)

Lead Workforce & Participant Engagement Partner

Fathers and Mothers Who Care serves as a lead workforce and community engagement partner for Career Ready SoCal, helping to identify, recruit, and support participants throughout their career readiness journey. Through trusted community relationships and youth advocacy, FMWC plays a critical role in connecting underserved youth and young adults to meaningful workforce opportunities while ensuring participants receive the guidance and encouragement needed to persist in training.

In partnership with Career Ready SoCal, Fathers and Mothers Who Care provides industry-aligned exposure and workforce training opportunities that prepare participants for career pathways in Construction, Green Technology, Health Services, and other high-demand sectors. Beyond workforce preparation, the organization supports youth and families through mentoring, advocacy, family engagement, leadership development, and community-centered programming designed to strengthen educational access, personal growth, and economic opportunity.

Linda Kelly

Founder and CEO

JTM Academy

Community Outreach Associate

JTM Academy serves as a valued community outreach and pre-apprenticeship partner for Career Ready SoCal, helping participants bridge the gap between career exploration, workforce preparation, and long-term employment opportunities in the skilled trades and related industries. As a recognized pre-apprenticeship program, JTM Academy provides participants with hands-on, project-based learning experiences designed to build practical workforce skills, strengthen technical competencies, and increase confidence in real-world work environments. Through experiential training, participants gain exposure to industry expectations, workplace safety, teamwork, problem-solving, and career readiness practices essential for success in construction, infrastructure, and other high-demand sectors.

In partnership with Career Ready SoCal, JTM Academy supports participant engagement and workforce exposure while helping youth and young adults better understand apprenticeship pathways and career opportunities available to them. Beyond skill development, JTM Academy plays a critical role in workforce transition by helping participants establish meaningful industry connections and providing access to job coordinators and workforce professionals who assist with placement opportunities, career navigation, and next steps following successful program completion. Through mentorship, hands-on training, and workforce connectivity, JTM Academy helps participants move from learning to earning while creating pathways toward sustainable careers and economic mobility.

California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA)

Research, Program Design, and Employer Engagement

James Matthew Thomas

Pan African Studies Professor

James Matthew Thomas is a Pan African Studies Professor at California State University of Los Angeles, a Urban Community Planning expert and the Senior Pastor of Living Word Community Church. Thomas is a pastor/teacher who consistently and purposely preaches an uncompromising message even in the most unlikely places, such as governments, universities, businesses and non-profits. His direct, yet compassionate approach provides a supportive environment where men and women mutually share their struggles, frustrations, and triumphs to lead more productive spiritual, personal and professional lives.

His ministry has touched the lives of many from the homeless on skid row, to gang members in South LA to CEOs, celebrities and Christian leaders. He is respected for the compelling and practical ways in which he shares biblical truth and his ability to impact the lives of both Christians and the unchurched. He developed an HIV/AIDS prevention program and manual that was adopted by the State of California and is used at West Angeles, Faithful Central, Crenshaw Christian Center and churches throughout California.

He and his wife Mona D. Thomas founded African Americans for Quality Education, a support group composed of teachers, professors, admission directors and parents to promote successful high school and college matriculation, which later became the Culturally Based Algebra camp. As a consultant, he worked to reduce the predatory practices of payday loans and helped to expand the USC Credit Union's service area to include those who worship in Los Angeles County. In addition, Thomas produced a gospel CD that is currently streamed on all platforms and was featured on First Lady Maria Shriver's television broadcast “Maria's Best Places to Visit in California.”

Thomas believes the church is responsible for ensuring a world without racism where justice, peace, and righteousness are the impetus for community transformation and economic development. With this in mind, Thomas committed four years of study at the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Policy, Planning, and Development and earned a Doctorate that has enabled him to lay the groundwork for establishing faith-based solutions to complex social problems. As with the fields of public administration and nonprofit management, his academic work is inherently interdisciplinary and strives to be theologically sound, theoretically rigorous, and grounded in end-use applications for practitioners by integrating and utilizing literature across disciplines and theoretical boundaries. His graduate work serves as a blueprint for developing a practical understanding of the ways in which Christian participation with nonprofit organizations, government, and business can build civic capacity, foster equitable partnerships, and stimulate development for low-income communities of color.

He and Mona are the proud parents of three wonderful sons, James Matthew II, Isaiah Jamaal, and Joshua Wayne, and one beautiful daughter, Imani Nakai.

Community & Training Partners

• W.A.Y.S (Workforce, Advancement, Youth, and Services): Youth workforce development and support services.