Thank you Deb Socia for a great conversation. It’s so inspiring to hear how Chattanooga has been able to pull together so many resources to make broadband an asset for the community.

And we’re thankful for the links you shared with us today:

• https://nextcenturycities.org/resources/ – tools to help you get better broadband
• https://www.techgoeshomecha.org/tgh-shorts.html  – tools to help parents get involved
• https://www.techgoeshomecha.org/wifi.html – how to get/make community wifi work
• https://mobilecitizen.org/ – mobile hotspot $186 for the first year, no data caps (Sprint network)
• https://detroitcommunitytech.org/?q=projects – learn about the mesh network (and more!) in Detroit

Connecting Residents to Essential Services: Solutions for Local Communities by Deb Socia, President and CEO, The Enterprise Center, Chattanooga, TN

During the presentation, Deb will share creative problem-solving strategies for connecting residents to essential services. She will review The Enterprise Center’s digital inclusion program and the unique interventions her organization was able to help put in place to help connect residents to tele-health, education, work from home, recovery services, faith based supports, and mental health care.

Deb Socia is President and CEO of The Enterprise Center, a nonprofit that pushes innovation forward in Chattanooga and aims to ensure that all residents have access to the tools they need to thrive in the digital world. Growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the Innovation District, building digital equity, and supporting research and implementation of smart city applications are all a part of the organization’s focus.

Prior to her current role, Deb was the Executive Director of Next Century Cities, a nonprofit that supports community leaders as they seek to ensure that all have access to fast, affordable, and reliable Internet. Previously, Deb was the Executive Director of the Tech Goes Home program in Boston whose mission is to ensure digital equity.

Deb’s early career included 32 years as an educator and administrator.  She was the founding principal of the award winning Lilla G. Frederick Middle School, a Boston Public School where she led the one-to-one laptop initiative.

Deb has been the recipient of many awards for her work, including the NATOA Community Broadband Hero, the Pathfinder Award from MassCUE, the CRSTE Leadership and Vision Award, the Google Digital Inclusion Award, Motherboard Human of the Year, an NTENny Award, and the Charles Benton Digital Equity Award.

• 10:35 Open Space Idea Generation
  What do YOU want to learn more about and discuss? Bring your ideas and generate new ideas in small groups – the discussions will take place Wednesday.