All Together For Digital Inclusion - Stakeholder Summit 2023

An event to help educate participants about the Digital Divide and shine a spotlight on various organizations dedicated to achieving Digital Inclusion in Central Texas. This event will launch Digital Inclusion Week 2023 (DIW2023) in Austin (TX), bringing together assorted stakeholders from various facets of the Digital Inclusion Ecosystem. The primary goal of this day-long event is to harmonize objectives, strategies, and outcomes among participants, all while commemorating regional successes. The spectrum of representative stakeholders will encompass community members, businesses, ISPs, NGOs, nonprofits, government entities, public officials, and more.

Some of our Distinguished Speakers include the following:

• Lila Valencia - City Demographer, City of Austin
• Rebecca Campbell - CEO, Austin Film Society/Austin Public
• Daniel Culotta - Interim Chief Innovation Officer, City of Austin
• Reyda Taylor - Strategic Advisor, Travis County Technology & Operations
• Brian Dillard - Chief Innovation Officer, City of San Antonio
• Bill Pugh - Managing Partner, Smart Connections Consulting LLC, and Technology Advisor, Autonomy Institute
• Rubén Cantú - Executive Director, Office of Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Division of Diversity and Community, Assistant Professor, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin
• Sharon Strover - Director, Technology & Information Policy Institute, Philip G. Warner Regents Professor of Communication, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin
• Michael Ward Jr. - President and CEO, Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTMHQ)
• Emily Binet Royall - Smart Cities Administrator, City of San Antonio
• Rakeda L. Ervin - Director of Community Education, Austin Film Society
• Marc Coudert - Climate Resilience & Adaptation Manager, Office of Resilience, City of Austin
• Catherine Crago - Head of Strategic Initiatives & Resource Development, Housing Authority of the City of Austin & Austin Pathways
• Khotan Harmon - Senior Program Manager, Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs, Financial Services Department
• Nehemiah Pitts III - Event Host, Chairman, Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission (CTTC), City of Austin

All Together For Digital Inclusion - Stakeholder Summit 2023 will enable fresh partnerships among public, private, and philanthropic entities, channeling investments into organizations, programs, and infrastructure in historically underserved regions. Furthermore, this initiative aims to catalyze novel pilot projects and leverage existing Proof-of-Concepts (POCs) that contribute to bridging the Digital Divide in Central Texas.

Collaborative efforts, partnerships, and strategic alignment with key players in the realm of Digital Inclusion yield a multitude of benefits, including:

• Advancement of Digital Inclusion and Community Engagement
• Strengthening Resiliency and Improving Emergency Response
• Cultivation of a future-oriented "Well-Being Economy"
• Harnessing digital opportunities across ALL sectors
• Nurturing Capacity Building, Affordability, and Consumer Protection

Importantly, the mission of All Together For Digital Inclusion extends beyond this Stakeholder Summit. It also encompasses a resounding call to action: identifying well-defined community inclusion goals to be achieved by 2028, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the 1928 City of Austin Strategic Plan. This historical plan legally segregated Austin displacing BIPOC families and introduced practices like restrictive covenants, redlining, and industrial zoning. These historical actions laid the groundwork for contemporary Digital Redlining and the ensuing inequalities in infrastructure, access, and capabilities that endure to this day.

100% of event proceeds will help fund Digital Inclusion Week 2023 in Central, Texas.