NOCCCD celebrated the opening of its Center for Entrepreneurship with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Anaheim Campus on May 4, 2023. The Center emphasizes an emerging direction in the entrepreneurial ecosystem: social entrepreneurship. The Center is conceived as a one-stop hub providing training, exploration, start-up incubation, resources, mentoring, and workforce access to underrepresented communities in North Orange County for the purpose of supporting social enterprises.

In attendance were approximately 100 guests from the District and its three campuses: Cypress College, Fullerton College, and North Orange Continuing Education as well as local leaders from California State University, Fullerton; Vital Link; Octane Foundation for Innovation; Coast Regional Occupation Program; North Orange County Regional Occupation Program; Small Business Development Centers; Small Business Diversity Network; and RevHubOC.

Attendees networked and enjoyed light refreshments before hearing from several guest speakers, including Senator Josh Newman of the 29th District; Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva of the 65th District; Ambassador for Orange County in the 4th District Paulette Chaffee; RevHubOC Founding Partner Tim Shaw; and from NOCCCD, Board of Trustees Member Stephen Blount, Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland, Vice Chancellor, Educational Services and Technology, Dr. Cherry Li-Bugg, and Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, Dr. Cathleen Greiner. NOCCCD Chancellor Clift Breland declared the opening of the Center for Entrepreneurship with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by docent-led Center tours. To view photos from the event, click here.

Dr. Breland said of the event, "Social Entrepreneurialism is a powerful catalyst to change communities and certainly has a positive impact on the world. Orange County is uniquely positioned to launch this endeavor and NOCCCD is proud to be a leader in this effort. The Center will facilitate forming the necessary partnerships to support the creative and diverse talents that we have in Orange County to address 'real world' problems and challenges."

The Center for Entrepreneurship was made possible with an $8.5 million grant through the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and Senator Newman. The funds will be used by the NorthSTAR OC Collaborative which includes NOCCCD, RevHubOC, OneOC, the Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State Fullerton, the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, CIELO, Advance OC, the Orange County MultiEthnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (OC MECCA), and the Social Science Research Center at Cal State Fullerton.

The NOCCCD Center for Entrepreneurship is now open on the 10th floor at the Anaheim Campus. For more information on upcoming activities and training, click here.