Not Falling Behind: Putting Appalachian Communities on a Path to a Better Digital Future
On June 8th from 12:00-1:00pm ET, AFN members gathered virtually for a conversation around rural connectivity with Sarah Thompson, VP for Economic Opportunity for the Dogwood Health Trust, Chris Worman, Co-Founder and Chief Partnership & Strategy Officer for Connect Humanity, and Michael Kelly, Director of Collaborative Broadband & Innovation at NC Rural Center. This session was recorded, and you can watch it and access additional resources below.
The pandemic increased our shared understanding about the pain caused by our persistent digital divide. In response, the U.S. government is about to invest nearly $60 billion in broadband. If perfectly spent, those funds will connect roughly 30% of America. We will still have a long way to go, particularly in rural communities. This webinar offers insights and perspectives on how philanthropy can engage now and into the future on issues of access and adoption, what is working, and how to get going.
Speaker Bios:
Sarah Thompson is the VP for Economic Opportunity for the Dogwood Health Trust, serving the 18 western Appalachian counties in North Carolina. In this role, Sarah is responsible for the visioning, development and implementation of ambitious economic impact strategies that will increase pathways to high-quality and more equitable employment opportunities for Western North Carolinians. She also leads efforts to increase broadband access and adoption in the region. In previous roles, Sarah led regional efforts in rural NC around community and economic development, which included the planning and fundraising for broadband. Leadership roles Sarah has held range from Town Council member, county planning board chair, Chair of the NC Rural Center, and founding Chair of Thread Capital, a statewide CDFI in NC. Sarah lives in Sylva, North Carolina, a small Appalachian mountain town of 2,500 residents.
Chris Worman is Co-Founder, Chief Partnership & Strategy Officer of Connect Humanity. He has spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of philanthropy, technology, and community organizing. After several years working with large American nonprofits, Chris joined the Peace Corps and landed in Romania. There he founded numerous social enterprises and Romania’s first community foundation. While building a national platform to support the development of future community foundations, Chris found himself increasingly needing access to technology and brought TechSoup into the country. Over the next several years, Chris led TechSoup’s design of large, multi-national civic tech engagement programs; the organization’s marketing communications group; and, until October 2021 served as TechSoup’s Vice President for Alliances and Program Development. During the pandemic Chris cofounded Connect Humanity, a fund for digital equity, to spur philanthropy's engagement in digitalization and ensure communities around the world have access to the combination of knowledge and finance they need to come online on their own terms. Chris has consulted for numerous large foundations, co-chaired working groups at World Economic Forum and WorldBank, taught masters level programming at the University of Vienna School of Economics, and is a proud father.
Michael Kelly serves as the Director of Collaborative Broadband & Innovation at the North Carolina Rural Center, where he works with local governments and the Rural Center's many partners on Broadband deployment. He previously served as the Director of Regional Planning and Economic Development for 6 1/2 years at the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, a five county region located in north central North Carolina, where he oversaw the administration of various federal and state grants, transportation initiatives, infrastructure improvements, drafted local zoning ordinances, and addressed food insecurity needs. Prior to working at a Regional Council of Governments, he worked as a Planner in Orange County, North Carolina assisting residents comply with the County's newly adopted Development Ordinance, with a particular emphasis placed on land use and environmental regulations. Prior to his tenure in local government, he served in an administrative capacity with the State of North Carolina. Michael is a Certified Planner, through the American Institute of Certified Planners and Certified Zoning Official, through the North Carolina Association of Zoning Officials. He is an active member of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association, serving as a member of the Legislative Committee.