ThoughtLab - Building a Future City [Report]

The Dallas Innovation Alliance’s Jennifer Sanders was honored to participate on the Advisory Board for ThoughtLab’s recent study on Building a Future City.

Executive Summary: Cities are in the throes of unprecedented change. Still reeling from the pandemic, and now facing economic, social, and climate disruptions, cities must quickly come to grips with the rising expectations of citizens. These run the gamut: wider digital access to public services, medicine, and education; more sustainable and safer infrastructure, mobility, and living conditions; and greater inclusiveness, public health, and affordable housing.

Baby steps won’t be enough. To overcome today’s urban challenges, cities must become future-ready. They need to morph into sustainable, inclusive, resilient, and safe metropolises—with newly fit-for-purpose digital and physical infrastructure.

This is no easy task. Today’s cities face severe skills shortages and budget constraints that make it difficult to keep up with the pace of change. They must contend with onerous political processes, changes in administrations, and regulatory and procurement complexity. Added to that is the need to put out daily fires.

To provide urban leaders with a roadmap for futureproofing their cities, ThoughtLab teamed up with Hatch Urban Solutions and a coalition of business, government, and academic leaders to conduct this ground-breaking research, titled Building a Future-Ready City. To analyze the latest views and strategies, we benchmarked 200 worldwide cities—representing 5% of the global population. In addition, we surveyed 2,000 citizens across 20 cities, interviewed city decision makers across regions, and held discussion groups with urban leaders and experts.

Read the full study here!

Cities Today: Dallas launches digital ambassador scheme with $1 million grant

11 August 2022 by Sarah Wray

An initiative led by the public-private Dallas Innovation Alliance will see ‘digital ambassadors’ provide support for up to 10,000 residents over the next two years.

The scheme has received a US$1 million grant from AT&T as part of the telco’s US$2 billion nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide.

Technology and resources for the programme are being developed so they can be reused and licensed to other communities.

Through the Connected Dallas programme, digital ambassadors will be hired to help residents with devices, internet plans and the skills to use them for education, job training and applications, transportation, telehealth, and basic services.

It is based on the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s Digital Navigator model.

Jennifer Sanders, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Dallas Innovation Alliance, told Cities Today: “One of the largest and most complex challenges in digital access is reaching communities where they are to inform and navigate adoption of various internet needs.”

The programme will provide support via phone, text, online and in-person. The initial plan is to set up four to eight community anchor locations with 25 ambassadors per site, and learn from these experiences to scale further.

Sanders said the funding from AT&T will cover a large portion of the programme, with additional commitments from foundations including the Santander Consumer USA Foundation and the Dallas Foundation. Federal funding sources are also being pursued.

Scalable systems

The money will be used to develop infrastructure for the programme including external and internal platforms, service software licensing, a call system, and advanced ticketing and programme measurement platform integration. The funding will also support marketing, salaries, website creation and equipment maintenance.

Sanders said: “We absolutely envision long-term sustainability for this programme – though as always with digital inclusion programmes, my personal hope is that we work ourselves out of a job as needs are fulfilled.”

The goal is for the initiative to have a wider reach beyond Dallas.

“Part of the model for sustaining is licensing the technology and resources to other organisations and communities across the country,” Sanders explained. “We’ve already had several conversations outside of Dallas where there is interest in doing just this.”

The technical design of the systems also aims to address another key challenge: the frequency with which digital access information and programmes change.

“This can provide additional frustrations to the community, and with very limited time, they often give up,” said Sanders.

“The Digital Ambassador programme has a focus on keeping information and training as up to date as possible through technology tools and APIs where possible. Through a central, ‘single version of the truth’, information is current and consistent across all support channels and we believe this eliminates another barrier to success.”

Recruitment

Attracting young people is a key focus in the recruitment of digital ambassadors.

“We are looking for members of the community that are actively engaged and passionate about supporting their neighbours,” Sanders commented. “Part of our goal is to recruit and engage our next generation of high school and college students to support their experience in serving the community and developing skills that will serve well in their future path.”

Connected Dallas will also involve working with organisations that have existing relationships with residents who could benefit, such as libraries, community centres, churches, healthcare providers and others.

“As cities and other strategic or funding entities identify where dollars are needed in this complex issue, an increased look at the balance of community ‘boots on the ground’ support alongside infrastructure and affordability are so important,” said Sanders.

“Programmes deep in the community can be the most labour and resource-intensive, but most critical to success in hard-to-reach communities.”

This is a trend that has been seen elsewhere, such as Philadelphia’s Digital Navigator programme and London’s Digital Inclusion Service pilot.

Cities Today: 'Finding Unicorns' - US cities navigate IT workforce shortages

08 November 2022 by Sarah Wray

US cities are having to be flexible and creative to overcome workforce challenges, particularly for IT and technology-related roles.

Local governments face a perfect staffing storm following the pandemic-related ‘great resignation’, an increase in projects spurred by the influx of federal funding, and the public sector’s inability to compete with private firms on pay.

A Deloitte survey published earlier this year found that government and private sector leaders ranked talent and expertise shortages as the biggest obstacle to implementing infrastructure projects over the next three years.

As the Future of United States infrastructure report noted, today’s infrastructure projects require skills beyond construction to include internet services, data analytics and more. Technologies expected to have the largest impact on infrastructure include artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity tools, as well as the Internet of Things and sensors.

At the recent Cities Today Institute City Leadership Forum in Dallas, several US Chief Information and Innovation Officers cited challenges with attracting applicants for open positions, retaining talented team members, and managing surges in staffing requirements. Many are adapting to keep projects moving.

Skills mix

Joan Sheffer, Deputy Director of Civic Information and Technology at Louisville Metro Government, Kentucky, said it is a challenge finding people with both the right technical and soft skills.

Image: Joan Sheffer/LinkedIn

“Often, we feel like we’re looking for a unicorn – someone with a rare, seemingly mythical, combination of skills,” she commented.

“And what we sometimes find is that actually soft skills are more innate so if you hire someone with the aptitude, you can give them the technical training.”

However, she added: “So many of our IT positions are highly technical and there’s only so much in-house training you can provide.”

In practice, this means: “We’re flexible but we try to hold out for the right fit, as opposed to just getting a warm body in the seat,” said Sheffer.

Diversity

Louisville’s IT department supports 28 government agencies and a wide range of hardware and software.  It tries to promote staff internally wherever possible.

“You get the benefit of employees with institutional knowledge, and it helps you keep good people,” commented Sheffer.

She said the department has a low staff turnover rate. Other retention strategies in Louisville include allowing flexible and remote work. Some cities reported that their leadership discourages or doesn’t allow telework, making it even harder to compete in the battle for talent.

“We still realise the benefits of engaging face to face with each other as well as our customers,” said Sheffer. “So we try to do fun things to encourage people back to the office, but we don’t force them.”

This has included allowing people to sometimes bring their dogs to work and having an ‘open door’ policy that encourages interaction and relationship building.

Another issue compounding skills challenges is diversity, with women being typically under-represented in IT teams.

“It’s something that I’ve always been concerned about and when we do have open positions, we rarely have women apply,” said Sheffer.

It’s a long-standing challenge but as part of efforts to address it, Louisville is partnering with universities and even engaging at the high school level to try and get young people interested in STEM careers and opportunities in public service early.

Agility

Raimundo Rodulfo, Director of Information Technology and Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Coral Gables, said the city tries to avoid skills gaps by hiring people with “learning agility”.

He explained: “They come with a baseline of soft skills that we need, like customer service and project management, and a minimum of industrial skills from the private sector or academia. Then we train them and help them to develop quickly.”

“The problem today is retaining staff in the public sector,” he said. “When we hire them and train them so well that they become competitive in the market, we then lose them to the private sector. In the public sector, we can’t compete on salary like the private sector, so we have to also have the agility to retrain and to rehire because it’s a fact of life.”

Raimundo Rodulfo/City of Coral Gables

Coral Gables sometimes takes on students who are still completing their studies and allows them flexibility in their work schedule.

“We know that some of the young students still in college have tremendous potential and they sometimes come with amazing solutions to problems that we veterans in the field didn’t think about.”

The city has also hired people even if they’re not available to start immediately.

“Good talent is scarce today, even more in the public sector, so we need to be flexible,” Rodulfo said.

He also believes in casting the net wide to find untapped potential.

“Look for talent in places like community organisations, civic coders, groups that meet to talk about technology,” he said. “They are from all walks of life. Look for that talent that is there and eager for an opportunity.”

Playing to strengths

While cities typically can’t match the private sector on salaries, they are trying to play to their other strengths, including providing a sense of public purpose.

On LinkedIn this week, Santiago Garces, Chief Information Officer for the City of Boston, appealed to those affected by the turbulence in the technology jobs market to look at public sector options.

He wrote: “To our friends, colleagues and all others impacted by the recent lay-offs at Twitter and other technology companies, I hope you consider a government job as your next adventure.

“Technology jobs in government are special, because we get to directly impact the lives of people at some of their most critical needs: connecting them with essential resources, supporting elections and the democratic process, allowing them to certify births, marriages, and even the death of loved ones.”

He added: “At the City of Boston we want to leverage skills and craft in product management, software engineering, user experience design and research, amongst others, to transform the way our city works so we can provide dignified experiences to our diverse residents and visitors. We want to power our transformation to a greener, more sustainable city.”

“We have exciting problems, an important mission, a generally stable and balanced work balance, and an incredible adventure,” Garces said.

Community infrastructure

The North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA) is looking at how it can address two important issues at once: creating good jobs in the region and ensuring the workforce is available for new infrastructure projects spurred by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“What we often see is that incremental increases in skills can make a dramatic difference, particularly to generational poverty,” said Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director of NTXIA, a regional consortium of nearly 30 municipalities, agencies, corporations and academic institutions.

Jennifer Sanders

“And if we’re spending trillions of dollars [in the US] on putting infrastructure in and everyone has the same deadline, how are we going to have enough people? We were already having trouble finding construction workers to build buildings, let alone complex infrastructure systems.”

The initiative is at an early stage, starting with identifying skills gaps and community needs in the region, evaluating training programmes that are already available, and exploring possible funding and partnerships. It could include rapid upskilling in areas such as fibre splicing and broadband deployment.

The approach could then be applied to other future-looking careers such as advanced automotive and logistics and systems design for electrification.

“I really love the idea that a lot of the folks that would benefit from these workforce training programmes also live in communities that will finally have the infrastructure they need,” said Sanders. “The idea that you then get to build the infrastructure that empowers your family and your community is something really amazing.”

Partnering

Even when staff are already in place, technology moves fast and CIOs are keen to keep their own skills and knowledge and those of their teams up to date. Some bring in experts for lunchtime learning sessions, for instance.

Technology companies are also offering learning platforms that can be used by cities and others. Nvidia’s Deep Learning Institute, for example, offers online training for developers, data scientists and researchers in artificial intelligence (AI). The courses are provided by Nvidia and industry partners and cover a range of topics relevant for cities, from predictive maintenance and cybersecurity to digital twins.

Alex Pazos, Senior Business Development Manager – Smart Spaces Metropolis, Americas, Nvidia, said: “Say there’s an urban planning team and they’re thinking about implementing a digital twin and they want to explore initially the concept of a digital twin – what tools are out there, what partners are out there – they can 100 percent leverage the Deep Learning Institute for that,” he commented.

Cities can use AI and digital twins to meet goals such as Vision Zero and decreasing emissions, Pazos said. Once they better understand the capabilities of a digital twin, they can further explore connecting with partners.

Dallas Innovates: How the Dallas Innovation Alliance Is Bridging the Digital Divide

August 25, 2022

BY QUINCY PRESTON AND DAVID SEELEY • AUG 25, 2022

Years ago, Jennifer Sanders stopped in her tracks at Dallas City Hall. She had a meeting to get to, but she couldn’t ignore the sight before her: A massive line of people stretched down a hallway into the distance. She walked along the snaking crowd, seeing people leaning on the wall, others shifting their weight from foot to foot as they peered ahead impatiently. Finally, Sanders reached the window everyone was waiting for—and she was amazed.

“They were waiting to pay their water bill,” Sanders told Dallas Innovates.

“I thought, do they not know that they can pay it online? Do they not have a bank account? A lot of these folks probably had to take off work to come down here and stand in line.”

She realized many of these people were being left behind by the “digital divide”: a barrier that keeps people without access to digital technology from realizing their economic potential.

Sanders thought, if only there was a way to help these people get online and get the basic skills to avoid a line like this, imagine what else might change. 

“We could help them save a couple hours, at minimum, to do something else,” she said, from being with their families to going to the grocery store to maybe using the internet to learn new skills, open new horizons, and advance to a brighter future. Not just for themselves, but for their communities, too.

Trying to end that line: the Dallas Innovation Alliance

Flash forward to today, and Sanders is doing something about it. She’s the co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Dallas Innovation Alliance. Together with co-founder Trey Bowles, she and their dedicated team work with a coalition of stakeholders from the city of Dallas, corporations, nonprofits, academia, and private individuals all striving to advance Dallas as a “smart’ global city. 

A big step toward doing that is ending lines like the one Sanders saw that day at City Hall, by giving every Dallas citizen the tools and know-how to be digitally savvy in an increasingly connected age.

To work toward that digital equity, DIA needed help—and it’s gotten it.

The Dallas Foundation and Santander step up—and AT&T makes Sanders cry

The DIA’s Jennifer Sanders was presented with a $1 million check by AT&T on August 8 at CitySquare.

First, The Dallas Foundation got things started for DIA by providing critical seed money. Then Dallas-based Santander Consumer USA donated a substantial grant.

But the biggest moment for DIA so far came earlier this month, when Dallas-headquartered AT&T contributed $1 million toward DIA’s new Digital Ambassador program, Connected Dallas: a two-year campaign to promote digital inclusion and internet access in the Dallas community.

Sanders got emotional when she first got calls about all three of those donations. But when AT&T called about the $1 million grant, “I burst into tears. And it’s just gratitude.”

$1M AT&T grant is part of a $2B commitment to bridge the digital divide

AT&T’s Mylayna Albright

AT&T’s $1 million grant to DIA is part of its $2 billion, three-year nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide. 

AT&T presented the check to DIA earlier this month on the campus of CitySquare, a nonprofit that’s fighting to end poverty in Dallas through service, advocacy, a food pantry program, and affordable housing options.

Mylayna Albright, assistant vice president of corporate social responsibility at AT&T, noted that CitySquare is home to AT&T’s “very first Connected Learning center.”

“We’re working to make digital technology accessible and affordable for students and families in need,” Albright said of AT&T’s $2 billion national commitment. “We’re so grateful to partner with organizations like the Dallas Innovation Alliance to continue that work.”

Mayor Pro Tem: Pandemic highlighted the challenges of lacking digital access

Carolyn King Arnold

Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold also spoke at the AT&T presentation. She said the pandemic has highlighted “the significant challenges that students, workers, and families actually experience on a day-to-day basis.”

“If they don’t have access, they don’t have connectivity,” King Arnold said. “What they end up with is stress, frustration, and unhappiness.”

The Mayor Pro Tem discussed the city’s Broadband and Digital Equity Plan, which works to provide everything from internet access to home computers to digital literacy and skills training.

“Many individuals in our vulnerable communities are in desperate need of knowledge, tools, and technologies that will help prepare them to live, learn, and work in our digital society,” she added. “The Digital Ambassador Program is a wonderful opportunity to meet these people where they are and provide them the education, the training, and other support to take advantage of the online opportunities available for themselves as well as their families.”

CitySquare CEO: An alliance of ‘innovators and disruptors’

John Siburt

Dr. John Siburt, president and CEO of CitySquare, looked out at the audience at the AT&T ceremony and saw a lot of allies in this fight.

“We’re honored to be a part of this alliance, because you all are innovators,” Siburt told the crowd. “And you all are disruptors who aren’t willing to resign yourself to this just being the way things are.”

“The status quo isn’t OK to anybody in this room,” he added. “We need to go actively create solutions.”

Dallas Fed: 42% of Dallas residents lack home internet

Jennifer Sanders

Jennifer Sanders—the DIA co-founder and executive director—stood up last at the AT&T presentation. She spoke of her organization’s 2015 founding, and how it’s been working on the digital divide issue since 2018.

Sanders cited research by the Dallas Federal Reserve which showed that as of 2019, about 42% of Dallas households lacked a fixed connection to the internet. The Fed’s message: “Digital inclusion drives economic inclusion. People need fast and affordable internet access, along with basic computer skills, to be able to search for housing, apply for jobs, get homework done, run small businesses, review bank transactions and perform other everyday tasks.”

“What we learned is that that’s based on three main factors,” Sanders told the audience. “One is access. Do you have a device? Do you have internet connectivity in your home? Is it affordable, and do you know how to use it? Do you know why it’s important? Do you know the tools that this is going to provide?”

The biggest challenge: getting the communities to know resources exist

“We learned that the hardest problem to solve was the understanding of the community,” Sanders said. “How do you get to the community so they know what resources exist?” If Dallas can get the word out, people will know there are low-cost city and federal programs available that can get them connected and transform their lives.

“The Digital Ambassador program is really an opportunity to take the program to the community where they’re at,” Sanders explained, helping people from sites across the city and through “hyper-local” outreach at everything from apartment complexes to senior centers.

“We’re so excited to get started,” she said.

Next step: Setting up Digital Ambassador sites where they’re needed most

Dallas Innovates talked with Sanders about next steps for DIA’s program, now that it has a total of $1.3 million in funding.

She said much of the infrastructure to help bridge the digital divide is already in place, including the city’s Broadband and Digital Equity Plan, federal subsidies for internet access, and things like the Santander Consumer Foundation’s $7 million investment to advance digital equity in Dallas.

In January, Santander announced a partnership with tech and community nonprofit Comp-U-Dopt to target student households below 200% of the federal poverty level in the southern sector of the city. They will provide free high-speed Internet connectivity to up to 10,000 Dallas student households, along with free laptop computers, training, and support to eligible low-income residents who enroll in a lottery for the program.

That’s just one of the programs available to Dallas residents who lack digital access, equipment, and knowledge. So DIA’s Digital Ambassadors are tasked with getting the word out, and helping people actually access those programs. 

Getting the word out about connectivity programs

“If communities don’t know that these affordable plans exist, if they don’t know how to sign up for them, then it can feel especially out of reach,” Sanders told us. So far, people may only have heard about programs that require things they can’t afford. Sanders has heard responses like, “I don’t have $60,” “I don’t have $45,” “I don’t have $30.”

“This Affordable Connectivity Program covers that,” Sanders said. “They’re powerful tools. Traditional methods are just not sufficient to reach the communities that most need those.”

“Folks get frustrated” when they don’t get clear, easy-to-understand info, Sanders said. “They don’t have time to figure it out. They have to know how to enroll to take advantage of the programs.”

The Digital Ambassadors will know about all the programs and will work with community members to match them with the right ones.

Getting rolling with a website and support line

The Digital Ambassador program’s website is slated to be launched by the end of September. Additional digital resources and a tech support line will also be live before the end of the year. 

“We’re partnering with Compudot on the Digital Ambassador support line,” Sanders said. “We’re combining resources to leverage that infrastructure.”

Coming in 2023: community anchor sites in South Dallas, Southern Dallas, and West Dallas 

Next up: getting ambassadors out in the community where the people who need them live. DIA is currently working on developing “community anchor sites” for the Digital Ambassador program, initially targeting areas most impacted by the digital divide: South Dallas, Southern Dallas, and West Dallas. DIA will look to target areas in Northeast Dallas as well at some point, Sanders said.

DIA will be putting out a call for community organizations to provide space for community anchor sites, which will be outfitted like walk-in centers.

“The goal is to start onboarding and soft-open the first community anchor site right after the first of the year,” Sanders said.

DIA plans to have 12 sites set up by the end of 2023, with five paid Ambassadors at each site, supplemented by volunteers as well.

‘A hub-and-spoke structure’

“The idea is to build a network of these walk-in facilities—as well as each facility within a neighborhood—that trains the individual ambassadors to be resources out in the community,” Sanders explained. “It’s a kind of hub-and-spoke structure.”

“The goal is to continue to scale the locations and the number of ambassadors, and to refine content and partnerships.”

Working with providers like hospital systems and DART

Those partnerships will include working directly with service providers like Dallas hospital systems and Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

“Those organizations don’t always have the support staff or a support infrastructure to say, ‘We can set up the telehealth appointments,'” Sanders pointed out. Part of the whole problem with the digital divide is “folks who don’t understand how to set up a MyChart account, let alone download a video client and understand how to log into their appointment.”

DIA’s Digital Ambassadors will work to not only help people get connected, but help them get the tools and knowledge to navigate the digital world as well. 

“We’re trying to take pressure off of the whole system,” Sanders said.

DIA’s Mobile Learning Lab

The Dallas Innovation Alliance partnered with Santander on this Mobile Learning Lab. [Photo: Dallas Innovation Alliance]

DIA will continue to operate its Mobile Learning Lab, a converted school bus that provides free Wi-FI within 500 feet, and educational programs inside.

“It will continue to be used for after-school and adult learning, but also will be its own location that can move to provide Ambassador-type services,” Sanders said.

Sanders’ ultimate goal: ‘We work outselves out of a job’

We asked Sanders about her ultimate goal for the program.

“My long-term vision is that we work ourselves out of a job, where this program is not necessary,” she said. She looks forward to the day when she’s “doing something else, because there’s a different problem to solve—because we’re good here.”

DIA Ends Summer 2022 with a Bang!

Dallas Innovation Alliance and Mobile Learning Lab wrapping up the summer with a bang!

Although we still have a couple of weeks to go, the start of school is already underway, and fall is just around the corner. DIA, a company of different partners, community partners, and sponsors, was able to collaborate, develop and enjoy various events and activities around the Dallas metroplex. We can feel proud and happy for the work done throughout the hot summer.

8th Annual Back to School Festival hosted by For Oak Cliff

The Dallas Innovation Alliance participated in the 8th Annual Back to School Festival hosted by For Oak Cliff. DIA partnered with the Dallas Regional Chamber to provide free WiFi to Dallas area employers and opened the DIA Mobile Learning Lab for on-site interviews. Interested in partnering with DIA or want more information about the Mobile Learning Lab? Contact mll@dallasinnovationalliance.com; we look forward to hearing from you!

Mayor's Back to School Fair

At the Mayor's Back to School Fair at Fair Park Dallas the DIA partnered with the City of Dallas - City Hall Dallas Public Library CARDBoard Project and about 150 other organizations. We managed to assist more than 2,000 people per hour. We were able to register and connect the community with the Affordable Connectivity Program.

By the Numbers:

• 400 flyers distributed (300 English & 100 Spanish)

• 150 families visited the booth

• 50 paper applications and pre-paid envelopes provided

• 40 applications successfully completed online

• 25:00 spent on average per applicant

Joppa-Joppee Back to School Bash!

Dallas Innovation Alliance, DIA Mobile Learning Lab, and CARDBoard Projectwere honored to participate in the Joppa neighborhood and South Central Civic League serving Joppa-Joppee for the SirVinceAcademy's 7th Annual Back to School Bash, where we served students and their families. Thank you, Santander Consumer USA for your support in putting on a great event! With the contribution of In-N-Out Burger Frios Gourmet Pops, Fiesta Bounce Houses, Autocare Heaven, and the City of Dallas - City Hall we distributed 150 backpacks and school supplies.
Many thanks to Shalondria for allowing us to build a relationship with the neighborhood, we look forward to continuing to partner in this vibrant community.

Market Day Entrepreneurship program

The program runs in parallel to the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Digital Skills training, to support famlies with school aged children where childcare is a barrier to participating in the cohort! Kids will be learning how to start, develop and budget to create their own business.
Thanks to our partners at CARDBoard Project State Fair of Texas CitySquare and Power U Up for helping us launch this program!

AT&T Contributes $1M to New Dallas Innovation Alliance Program

“Connected Dallas” to increase digital inclusion and bridge the digital divide for 10,000

DALLAS, Mon. Aug. 8, 2022 — As part of AT&T’s $2 billion nationwide commitment to help bridge the digital divide, AT&T is supporting a digital equity initiative led by the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA). DIA is a coalition of stakeholders from the City of Dallas, corporations, civic and other organizations, academia and private individuals who are invested in Dallas’ continued evolution as a forward‐thinking, innovative, ‘smart’ global city. This contribution will enable DIA to target 10,000 community members with DIA’s new Digital Ambassador program, “Connected Dallas”, a 2-year campaign to promote digital inclusion and internet access in the Dallas community.

“The pandemic has heightened the challenges faced by students, workers and families nationwide who currently lack the connectivity and digital education needed to harness the power of technology in their daily lives,” said Mylayna Albright, AVP, Corporate Social Responsibility at AT&T. “Under-resourced neighborhoods have been hit particularly hard.  AT&T is proud to continue our collaboration with DIA and support their new Digital Ambassador program to support more than 10,000 members of our community with digital inclusion education, training and connectivity.”

“Dallas cannot fulfill its potential as a city of innovation if we have communities left out of the technology revolution,” said Jennifer Sanders, Co-Founder and Executive Director, DIA. “Our Digital Ambassador program is a direct response to the needs of our communities and will help us provide support on-the-ground and via phone, text and web, for more than 10,000 members who are at risk of falling behind in an increasingly digital world.”

“As we build for our future in Dallas, it is important for us to work together to bridge the digital divide in our historically underserved and overlooked communities,” Mayor Eric Johnson said. “The Digital Ambassador program provides a significant boost to our efforts. Through this program, we can help support our city’s families by giving them access to the educational opportunities, training, and other support they need to succeed in the 21st century economy."

AT&T is making a $2B commitment from 2021-2023 to help bridge the digital divide through affordable broadband offers for both consumers and education institutions, as well as high-quality educational resources and community investment through AT&T Connected Learning, a program to connect students to skills, resources, and opportunities for success in school and in life.

AT&T is committed to connecting more Americans to reliable, high-speed broadband internet in several ways, including expanding and upgrading our network and participating in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

The ACP provides eligible households with a benefit of up to $30 a month (up to $75 on qualifying Tribal lands) to reduce the cost of broadband service and can be applied to all our AT&T Fiber speed tiers. After you confirm your ACP eligibility, call us at 866-986-0963 to discuss your options and order service. Be sure to have your National Verifier application ID handy when you call.

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. AT&T Connected Learning is a multi-year commitment to bridge the digital divide and narrow the homework gap, so today’s learners are connected with skills, resources, and opportunities for success in school and in life. Since 2008, we’ve committed $600 million to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.

For more information, contact:                    

Name: Tiffany Heikkila

AT&T Corporate Communications

Phone: 832-573-0958

Email: Tiffany.Heikkila@att.com

DIA is Hiring! Digital Inclusion Program Manager Position is Open!

Digital Inclusion Program Manager

Are you passionate about Digital Inclusion, innovation and building something brand new?

The Dallas Innovation Alliance team is looking for a Program Manager to lead our digital inclusion projects, including the development of our new Digital Ambassador Program and the continued growth of our Mobile Learning Lab and other projects and partnerships in the portfolio that serve communities in access and skills training related to internet and digital services and careers.

Successful candidates will have experience in program management, content creation, creating and managing partnerships across sectors, and community engagement. Experience in the nonprofit, public, academic or private sector is welcomed, and the ideal candidate will have experience working in underserved communities across Dallas.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this position may be considered for contract or contract →  full time.

Candidates must be organized and detail-oriented, comfortable working with diverse teams, multi-tasking, self-directed, and a level of ambiguity that comes with building a brand-new program. The goal will be to facilitate the effective development and management of programs according to the organization’s mission and structure. The position is primarily virtual, but candidates must live in Dallas or immediate vicinity.

Responsibilities

Program Management

●      Plan and facilitate Mobile Learning Lab programming and events

●      Development, planning and coordination of digital inclusion programs

●      Planning and execution of community, education, outreach and events;

●      Ensure implementation of policies and practices

●      Manage program data collection and reporting

●      Periodic onsite coordination and event support at off-hour programs

Relationship Development & Management

●      Support new and ongoing partner relationships and management

●      Assist as a liaison with community organizations, program providers, funders and other institutional partners

●      Help build and maintain positive relations within the team and external parties

Content Development & Communications

●      Develop newsletters, social media, basic website updates, training materials, messaging, and surveys on periodic basis

●      Support communications through media relations, social media etc.

Administrative

●      Keeping the Executive Director in check!

●      Assist in hiring and onboarding new team members

●      Prepare paperwork, including managing invoicing and basic partner agreements as needed

●      Scheduling and organizing meetings/events

●      Support Executive Director in monitoring and reporting grant related efforts, including local and national foundations, state and federal grant opportunities. Ensure that the Executive Director is kept abreast of progress and key decision points

Skills & Qualifications

●      Familiarity or interest in Smart Cities generally, and Digital Inclusion specifically

●      Knowledge and experience program management and development procedures

●      Comfortable with ambiguity in developing new programs that haven’t been done before!

●      Ability to work with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams

●      Outstanding verbal and written communication skills

●      Experience in data capture, analysis and reporting

●       Excellent organizational skills combined with the ability to work well under pressure;

●       Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines

●      Comfortable multi-tasking, as well as working independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment;

●      Ability to support several small to medium-sized projects in addition to working on long-term projects;

●      Self-motivated, creative, self-directed, and responsible;

●      Experience in budget management and reporting

Experience

●      5-7 years of related project management or organizational experience preferred;

●       Bachelor’s Degree preferred, but not required;

●      Experience in digital inclusion, community relations in underserved communities, including light event planning;

●      Proficiency in Google applications, MS Office, Dropbox;

●      Ideal candidates will have experience with Squarespace, Salesforce, Mailchimp and other content management tools

●       Strong database management/CRM skills preferred;

●       Experience in basic graphic design and GIS/ESRI preferred

The Dallas Innovation Alliance is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion. We are equal opportunity employers and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We offer competitive salaries and a pleasant working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience.

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to info@dallasinnovationalliance.com with the subject line referencing this job posting. Please no phone calls, emails, faxes or in-person resume drop-offs. Please reference where you saw this posting. Dallas Innovation Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer.