NTEN is pleased to announce the nine emerging leaders from North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Utah selected as 2019 Digital Inclusion Fellows.

This fifth cohort of the Fellowship brings together these professionals from a wide range of service organizations, from a rural library to an organization aimed at empowering girls to use technology.

Launched in 2015 in partnership with Google Fiber, the Digital Inclusion Fellowship builds capacity and leadership in nonprofits to bridge the digital divides in their communities. In this year-long, project-based, professional development cohort, Fellows will develop and implement ambitious project plans in order to increase opportunities for adults in their communities to learn essential digital skills, and will receive project grants of up to $1,000 to help launch their programs.

One of the Fellows selected for 2019 is Shenee King, Digital Inclusion Coordinator for CHN Housing Partners in Cleveland, OH. “Digital inclusion is important because technology is the foundation for economic mobility, staying connected to loved ones, and improving academic success for children,” said King. “Making sure that the most vulnerable populations in our communities are equipped, empowered, and educated to use technology to reach their goals is very important.”

Another 2019 Fellow is Samuel Maldonado of the Orange County Literacy Council in Carrboro, NC. “I am an example of what digital inclusion and the use of technologies for education can achieve,” said Maldonado. “I’m still learning and would like to express myself better in English, but it is not my first language and thanks to the access and use of technologies, I’m able to improve and learn everyday.”

We are grateful to our Cohort 5 sponsors—Google Fiber, The Cleveland Foundation, and the Meyer Memorial Trust—for their commitment to bridging digital divides and supporting the Digital Inclusion Fellowship.