Cameron Sublett serves as the Senior Director of Innovation and Incubation at FoundationCCC, where he leads efforts to design, test, and scale initiatives that expand educational access, improve outcomes, and increase economic opportunity across California’s community colleges. His work reflects a deep personal and professional commitment to building systems that transform lives and help more students achieve their goals.

Prior to joining FoundationCCC, Cameron served as Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Education Research & Opportunity Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a nationally recognized expert on policies and practices supporting student transitions into and through community colleges. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Education Sciences, and published extensively in top tier academic journals focused on economics of higher education. From 2008-2017 he served as a faculty member at Santa Barbara City College, a 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Co-Winner. 

Sublett holds a PhD in Education Policy, Leadership, and Research Methods from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he also earned an MA in Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics.

Lauren Mason is Co–Principal Investigator of the Perkins READI AI Fellowship, where she co-leads a Community of Practice to prepare Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for an AI-driven workforce. A co-author of more than 20 published studies, Lauren brings deep expertise in mixed-methods research, assessment design, and evidence translation. As co-PI, she supports project operations and college teams by guiding assessment design, facilitating fellowship meetings, contributing to timelines, templates, and professional development resources, and co-authoring reports and briefs that translate insights into practice. Her integrative, multidisciplinary research over the past decade has focused on strategies that enhance student success, and she continues to bridge research and practice to ensure CTE programs are responsive, equitable, and future-ready.

Lauren holds a PhD and MS in Psychology, with a concentration in Cognition, from Tufts University. She also completed a BA in Psychology and Holistic Health from San Francisco State University.

Career and technical education (CTE) and artificial intelligence (AI) have been central themes throughout Michael's career.

For nearly two decades as a secondary educator, Michael served as a CTE instructor specializing in computer programming, networking, repair, and related technology fields. He also held leadership roles as an assistant principal, principal, and district administrator, focusing on closing achievement gaps while ensuring students had meaningful opportunities through successful educational pathways.

As Assistant Vice Chancellor at the College System of Tennessee, Michael worked with the offices of Community Colleges, Academic Affairs, Student Success, and Access & Success, collaborating with more than 50 institutions of higher education and supporting over 200,000 students annually. His work has centered on improving student persistence, completion, and access for all students, with a key focus on researching and implementing how technology and AI can be leveraged to enhance student outcomes and prepare learners for the future workforce.

Michael has received national recognition for his contributions to education and has served in leadership roles, including President, Program Chair, and Chair of Public Policy, with multiple nonprofit organizations advancing educational success and workforce development opportunities. As Michael often states, "At the core of my work is advocating for those whose voices are often unheard."