NETGEAR’s Donation of Hotspots Supports CTN’s Home Connect Learners
Community Tech Network is pleased to announce a generous donation... Read more →
Transforming lives through digital literacy.
Donate NowOur mission is to unite organizations and volunteers to transform lives through digital literacy.
We believe that access to the Internet is a human right, and that those without the skills to use a computer are at risk of social and economic disadvantage. Public services and essential information are increasingly moving online, and many people are unable to access those resources. While many organizations are working to spread Internet connectivity to the underserved, access to technology is only a partial solution. Connectivity needs to be coupled with digital skills training that is relevant and delivered in a way that won’t intimidate the adult learner.
In 2020, Community Tech Network turned 12 years old. Our goal to eliminate the digital divide has been consistent, but the pace of change means the goalposts are constantly being moved. Therefore, CTN must continue using its experience to build a more inclusive digital world for the future in which everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of life online.
Three years ago, CTN expanded its reach to include the Austin, Texas area, with the continuing mission to establish additional digital inclusion hubs wherever we find meaningful partnerships that serve communities in need of digital skills. Contact us if you’d like to partner.
Community Tech Network gained its 501(c)3 nonprofit status and became an independent nonprofit organization in 2008 with grant support from the Full Circle Fund.
However, our origins can be traced back to 2001, when we started as a program of TechSoup (then called CompuMentor) to address a rapidly growing need for public digital literacy training. In 2007, our role was reviewed in a community survey, the results of which clearly indicated an ongoing need for CTN’s digital literacy work, and the transition to charitable status was made.
Back in 2008, when CTN became a nonprofit, Twitter was just a fledgling social media experiment, Facebook had barely begun its rise to world dominance, and Instagram wasn’t even a twinkle in its creator’s eye. Twelve years later, the internet is central to everyday life and access to it has become a right, not a privilege.
During these 12 years, CTN grew from one volunteer Program Manager and a handful of helpers to an organization of over a dozen staff, 60 active volunteers and 50 partner locations. It also spread its sphere of influence beyond San Francisco to the wider Bay Area. and to Central Texas. Today, CTN is led by an active and diverse Board of Directors comprising community leaders, business leaders, and technology advocates from local nonprofits in both the San Francisco and Austin areas.
Austin, TX
Charles has over 20 years of Information Technology experience and is currently the Director of IT for DFI Resources in Austin, Texas. During his 19 years at DFI, he has spent his career leading the organization through numerous technological changes and transformations. He has been involved in numerous projects, leads and manages people, plans and develops budgets, and is the primary decision maker for technology within the company. He has been serving on the internal leadership team for several years. Charles has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Texas A&M University.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Eric is a Senior Staff Research Scientist / Research Manager for the Akassoglou Lab in the Department of Neurology Gladstone Institutes at the University of California, San Francisco. He has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UCSF, two postdoctoral fellowships in Cellular Neuroscience from UCSF and Stanford, and has over 18 years of combined biotech / academic research, publication, and grant writing experience. Eric has also ventured away from the science lab and used his extensive cross-disciplinary professional network in the Bay Area to consult for digital health, elder care, dementia care, biotech and digital health companies. He has also consulted for nonprofits serving the elder community. This work highlighted the unmet need that elders have for better internet connectivity and understanding how to use their med tech digital devices, computers, and smartphones. This unmet need drove him and his wife, Marymoore Patterson, to create the nonprofit “Teen-Elder Tech-Connect” which brought tech-savvy teens together with elders to bridge this tech and generation gap.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Lauren brings financial and analytical expertise to the CTN Board. She is an Experienced Assurance Manager at BDO in San Francisco and has more than seven years of public accounting with a focus on technology companies. She has worked with a variety of businesses throughout the Bay Area including venture backed startups and large, public companies and has been involved with their transition through the various phases of growth including IPO and merger processes. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is a licensed CPA in the state of California.Austin, TX
With over 16 years of experience in social work, nonprofit leadership, community administration, training, fundraising and resource development, Michelle DeGrate, LMSW, holds her Master of Social Work from UT Arlington. As the Director of Development for Goodwill Central Texas, the digital divide is evident in the work she champions daily. As a servant leader, outside of CTN board service, she mentors for Academy 4, volunteers fundraising support to local nonprofits, and is a reoccurring guest lecturer for UNT’s Social Work program. Michelle defines success by the ability to vulnerably leverage personal testimony to uplift others.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Barrington Dyer is a shareholder at Polsinelli LLP. He takes a creative and strategic approach to resolving intellectual property disputes for startups and Fortune 500 companies. He is dedicated to helping clients solve their most complex issues related to the establishment and protection of their intellectual property. Barrington has experience representing clients in a variety of high technology industries, including computer networking devices, semiconductor devices, computer memory, smartphones, mobile apps, computer software and internet-related technologies. He has represented clients in patent, copyright, and trade secret disputes in federal court, and litigated patent validity before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. Prior to becoming an attorney, Barrington worked for a media technology company developing a video-on-demand content delivery and management system for content providers. He applies his experience as an engineer when counseling clients on technological issues that intersect with the law.Austin, TX
Robert has over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector focused on developing an inclusive and ethical digital community. As the Executive Director of the Permanent Legacy Foundation, he will build a trusted and respected organization that can guarantee secure data storage for all people, permanently. Prior to joining the Permanent team, Robert led the Mozilla Foundation’s Internet Health agenda in Texas, working with community leaders to advance digital inclusion, internet decentralization, open innovation, online privacy and security, and web literacy. Robert holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Chicago, where he first came to deeply appreciate the legacy of human knowledge while exploring the history of our universe.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Janyka Kelly is a Solution Engineer with Sprint Business based in San Francisco, California. She’s been with Sprint for 25 years and has held many positions within the company including project management for wireline installations for fortune 500 companies. Over the past 8 years she’s focused on non-profit and public service wireless technology connectivity. She’s passionate about bridging the digital divide for K-12 and Elderly. She’s participated in earning funds for the One Million Project and Project Connect. Janyka brings diversity of knowledge of solutions available by wireless networks. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Danielle Bowers is an HR Manager for Google’s central talent strategy team based in Mountain View, CA. Prior to joining Google’s People Operations organization, Danielle co-founded the News Lab and spent four years building the global team, developing news products, and launching a research and development effort for news at Google. In 2011, Danielle joined Google and was one of the first members of the company’s Revenue Intelligence team where she consulted with top tier publishers to help grow their businesses. Danielle has her B.S. in Management Science from UC San Diego and her M.B.A from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She has a deep passion for learning and for dedicating her efforts to making the world a better place for everyone.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Margaret is a Managing Director at Accenture, focused on high tech and platform clients in San Francisco and across the bay area. Over the last six years at Accenture, she has developed expertise in digital transformation, strategy, and enablement in sales and sales operations. Prior to joining Accenture, Margaret was a Product Manager in Online Strategy for Fidelity Investments, based in Boston. She has called San Francisco home for more than four years now after growing up on the east coast and two stints in Chicago. Margaret holds an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and a BA in Classics from Northwestern University.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Sushma is a Senior Director of Content Strategy & Operations at HP, driving customer centric digital transformation. Sushma brings 17+ years of corporate leadership experience in delivering complex cross-functional projects that enable a better customer experience. As technology brings deep and rapid changes to the communities we live in, Sushma’s goal is to work with businesses, educators, local governments and communities to explore solutions to bridge the digital divide, increase digital literacy and empower its citizens to be a part of the digital economy. Sushma holds a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Science, Computer Science from Bangalore University.San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Emmie is Product & Privacy Counsel at LinkedIn and is passionate about providing vulnerable populations with safe, equitable and inclusive access to technology. She has extensive experience helping global technology companies establish responsible practices governing privacy, information security, and online trust & safety. Emmie graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.A. in Political Science and Mass Communications, and a minor in Public Policy. She also received her law degree from Berkeley Law. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native and has deep roots in the Silicon Valley tech community.Austin, TX
Francoise is the Executive Director of EarthShare of Texas, an environmental nonprofit fundraising for over 40 Texas environmental organizations conserving natural resources and building a healthy and sustainable environment. Francoise is passionate about public service and the intersection of technology and society, and she looks forward to growing CTN’s presence in Austin, Texas. She received her bachelor’s from Hofstra University and master’s degree in global policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin, where she focused on international development and public-private partnerships.Since its inception, CTN has grown its scope from a few partners in San Francisco to over 50 that span the wider Bay Area and Austin, TX. Our partners are housing developments, senior centers, recreation centers, libraries and social service agencies. The common factor among all our partners is they are trusted places where people go for services and support. We recognize the need in both cities for the service we provide (train the trainer, curriculum development, staff capacity building and evaluation) specifically to address the basic digital literacy needs in the community. Here is a list of our current partners:
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA
Asian Pacific American Community Center: APACC
Bayview Senior Services
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Centers
Catholic Charities
Center For Elders’ Independence
Centro Latino
Children’s Council of San Francisco
Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC)
City of Oakland
City of Sunnyvale
Curry Senior Center
Department of Disability and Aging Services
Episcopal Community Services (ECS)
FACES SF
Golden Gate Senior Services
Goodwill of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin
HumanGood
IT Bookman Community Center
Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD)
Mission Neighborhood Centers
OnLok
PRC (Positive Resource Center)
St. Francis Living Room
San Francisco Housing Development Corporation (SFHDC)
San Francisco Public Library
Sequoia Living
Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center
Tabernacle Community Development Corporation (TCDC)
Tenderloin Housing Clinic
Twitter NeighborNest
YMCA
AUSTIN, TX
AGE of Central Texas
Austin Independent School District
Austin Public Library
Capital IDEA
City of Austin Innovation Team
Family Eldercare
Foundation Communities
Latinitas
Community Tech Network is pleased to announce a generous donation... Read more →
Photo: George Janske receives his graduation package delivered by CEI... Read more →
Photo: Mission Neighborhood Centers provides weekly music sessions via Zoom. ... Read more →
Community Tech Network is pleased to announce a new training... Read more →
With the valued support of members of local and regional business communities, Community Tech Network remains poised at the forefront of technological empowerment and education in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, TX. We invite the support of any individual or organization that recognizes alignment between our mission and their own. We welcome contributions of time, resources, information, financing, and services, and are always happy to discuss possibilities with our supporters. Feel free to contact us for more information on how you or your organization can support CTN!
Accenture
Adobe
AT&T
The Barrios Trust
California Consumer Protection Foundation
Charter Communications
Christensen Fund
Clover Health
Comcast – Internet Essentials
Consumer Technology Association Foundation
Cornerstone Advisors
Crescent Porter Hale Foundation
Dell
Frontline Arts Web Design
Full Circle Fund
IBM
Junior League of San Francisco
Latino Community Foundation
Metta Fund
Microsoft
Mobile Beacon
Monkeybrains
MsJones Design
Newhall Foundation
Polsinelli
Salesforce
SF City & County Department of Aging and Adult Services
Sprint
Symantec
Twitter
Werner-Kohnstamm Family Fund
Western Digital
Yahoo Employee Foundation
Zelle LLP
We are also very fortunate to have many generous individual donors. If you would like to contribute to our work of closing the digital divide, visit our donation page.