Introducing the 2022 Digital Inclusion Fellows

This summer, Google Fiber celebrates the 10th anniversary of opening sign-ups in our first market, my hometown of Kansas City. The first few months after launch were intense and rewarding, humbling and inspiring. One of the greatest takeaways from that period - and demonstrated countless more times over the years - is that the most effective digital equity work happens collaboratively, when people who know their communities best are empowered to make a difference. 

The Digital Inclusion Fellowship, a program we co-founded with NTEN,  is one way that we’ve demonstrated the impact of this type of collaboration. Since 2015, 78 digital literacy leaders, advocates and practitioners from nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies across the country have been sponsored by Google Fiber. Through training and planning support that is delivered to these cohorts, these changemakers have created and managed projects ranging from improving access to the internet to multi-generational digital literacy initiatives. 

Because I have seen firsthand the impact this program can have on communities, it is my privilege to welcome the eighth cohort of Digital Inclusion Fellows, who are dedicated to broadening digital equity in their communities over the next year. This year’s Google Fiber sponsored fellows for 2022 include:

Atlanta, GA  Stacy Rozier, Goodwill of North Georgia

Austin, TX  Dan Reddi, Austin Public Library

Charlotte, NC  Natali Betancur, The Center for Digital Equity, and Chantez Neymoss, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

Kansas City, MO  Erika Garcia Reyes, Revolución Educativa

Provo, UT  Baylee Swanson, United Way of Utah County

Salt Lake County, UT  Hoang Ha, Spy Hop Productions, and Jaleen Johnson, Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN)/Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC)

San Antonio, TX  Dallana Camargo, Empower House SA

As Fellow Chantez Neymoss said, “Digital inclusion is important to me because of how transformational it can be in someone’s life. Expanding this access opens up new opportunities for employment, small businesses, connecting with family, education, and more. Digital skills and tools should be an opportunity for expansion, not a barrier.”

During the fellowship and beyond, we know this commitment to collaboration will open up new opportunities with the hope that it will bring their communities closer to meeting their larger social, economic and civic needs. We wish this new cohort great success!

Posted by Rachel Merlo, Head of Government and Community Affairs - Central Region | Orange County, CA