digital equity initiative

As a fellow at the City & County of San Francisco in 2019, I developed a digital entrepreneurship program for criminal-justice involved and public housing constituents. After analyzing industry trends and engaging with individuals, service providers, CBOs, unions, and technology companies, I submitted a report to Mayor London Breed’s Office of Housing and Community Development, recommending a program that taught new and longstanding business owners the digital skills needed for their businesses to flourish. I cross-listed these digital skills with demand in the technology industry because whether it be through business ownership or industry employment, my goal was to find ways for San Francisco constituents to earn living wages.

The Digital Entrepreneurship Program was adopted by Salesforce in 2020. The report is a proprietary document, but I am happy to lend my expertise on closing the digital divide in cities across the nation.

Report Excerpt:

“The key findings from my study are that residents learn digital skills only as they become relevant, they prefer to learn in traditional classrooms or in one-on-one settings rather than online learning, there is a strong desire to learn digital skills to teach others, there is an organic interest in starting online businesses or building online platforms for existing businesses, and many of the soft skills employers are looking for are also entrepreneurial skills. Many of the people I talked to commented on the changing demographics of their neighborhoods, the rapidity of the tech sector, and job exclusion, but they also asserted that they wanted to participate and benefit from that change, so they too, could see real economic advancement.”