Since 1986, as a leading public interest tech organization, MMTC has fought for equal access and representation in tech, media, and telecommunications through opportunity creation, awareness building, and advocacy.

Sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation 2020 Open Knowledge Grant, #BlackTechFutures Research Institute builds a national network of city-based researchers and practitioners conducting research on sustainable local black tech ecosystems. The outcomes of this work are actionable policy recommendations and a national public data archive.

We curate and connect a diverse black tech ecosystem in Nashville. Our Four Impact Points are:• Matching Opportunities & Resources (e.g. Workforce Development and Leadership)• Formulating Equitable Public Policy• Impactful Networking• Innovative Funding Sources Major Outcomes to Date:• 340 Members have joined (e.g. 23% Technologists, 18% Tech Start Up, 17% Non Tech Start Up, 18% Education/STEAM, and 15% Higher Ed/Tech Scholar)• Launched city-wide survey of Black technologists • Members appointed to Tech Boards & STEM Committees • Piloted Summer #Edtech Fellowship with Metro Action Commission Summer Tech Camp• Organized a City-Wide Digital Inclusion Task force working with the Islamic Center and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce • Organized and Launched first city-wide forum on tech inclusion, 2017 Nashville Tech Inclusion Forum on August 29, 2017 which boast 200 plus participants (e.g. Government, Universities, Tech Companies, and community tech organizations)• 2018 Nashville Technology Council Finalist, Diversity Game Changer Nominee (Winner announced Jan. 28th)Personal Achievements Related to Black in Tech Nashville work: • 2018 Cable's Power of Inclusion Individual Award• NashvilleBusiness.Net 100 Leading African Americans 2018 Recipient • 2017 Channel 2 ABC News Woman of Influence Award • 2017 - 2018 Kapor Center for Social Impact Research Fellow (e.g. Examination of Machine Learning and Social Service-Based Careers)• 2017 - Present Editorial Board Member, Journal of Computer Science Integration• 2018 Kauffman Foundation Uncommon Method and Metric Fellow (e.g. Developing metrics to capture underrepresented tech entrepreneur lived experiences)

ABOUT BLACK TECH MECCABlack Tech Mecca uses data to identify challenges impacting how black tech practitioners integrate into the local tech ecosystem, crafting solutions to fill the gaps and spearhead change. We are champions of tech empowerment - redirecting resources, reshaping perspectives, and redefining obstacles. Our goal is to democratize technology, ecosystem by ecosystem, breaking down barriers one community at a time. OUR VISIONTo make the power and potential of technology accessible to every black child, entrepreneur, and professional one community at a time.OUR MISSIONTo create thriving tech ecosystems designed to connect, measure, and direct local resources to empower black tech practitioners across the globe.

Establish American Baptist College's, first ever, Institutional Advancement Office and to create a vibrant fundraising culture at ABC through donor cultivation and re-branding the College as tech equity hub for first generation students of color. • Developed protocols needed to build a strong development office; • Created verified alumni donor lists; • Increased giving and unique donors; • Launched College’s first Donor Honor Roll/donor honor awards during the 2016 Garnett Nabrit Lecture Series; • Lead the strategic planning process to re-brand identity around technology and social justice entitled STEAMS (Science,Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Social Justice); Hired a Learning Instructional Design Coach to work with faculty on integrating technology into instructional practices; • Applied for the Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) Experiment and was advanced to the second round of applicants focusing on alternative credentialing for social impact careers like counseling and pastoring; • Worked with Academic Affair Office to align STEAMS with accrediting program outcomes; • Created Senior Day and invited both Google their Chief Education Evangelist, Jaime Casap, and top Snap Chat engineer to expose graduating Metro Nashville Public High School seniors to the worlds of technology. First year in 2016 worked with 50% high schools, year 2 worked in partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools District Office and worked with 100% MNPS High schools (N = 1,500 graduating seniors); • Developed partnerships with Vanderbilt’s Cal Turner Moral Leaders and Social Ventures Institute to get additional talent to provide strategic planning for American Baptist College; • Cultivated strategic partnerships with Google Fiber, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Pencil Foundation, Nashville Technology Council, Digital Youth Network, Game Heads, Black Tech Week, Education for Liberation, Righteous Minds, and Code Fever;

Hired to develop a culturally strategic and systematic foundation for building sustainable community and parent partnerships: • Used data in strategic and operational planning for establishing a Community Partnership Functional Team;• Developed and piloted a new community-engagement project entitled The Beloved Community Project which includes a parent advisory board entitled the Diverse Family Advisory Board;• Established partnerships with 12 non-profits that serve different diverse and cultural communities in Nashville;• Selected, trained, developed, supervised, evaluated and rewarded/recognized both employed workers and volunteers;• 90 percent of parents on the Diverse Family Advisory Board strong agree that the Diverse Family Advisory Board shows Teach for Americas’ commitment to helping their teachers better engage students and families from different racial and cultural backgrounds;• 100 percent of Teach for America’s teachers believe that they can better engage parents from different cultural backgrounds because they are Parent Ambassadors for the Diverse Family Advisory Board;• Trained teachers on how to work with parents and community organizations to create together a participatory research design to assess parent perceptions of culture and race in Metro Nashville Public Schools;

The Education Pioneers Fellowship provides exceptional professionals with pathways into education leadership careers that solve problems outside the classroom so that teachers and students can succeed inside the classroom

Hired to run a start-up faith-based non-profit:• Used data in strategic and operational planning;• Maintained a cost-effective mix of quality programs and services, working as appropriate with other community agencies;• Marketed service opportunities and results to funders and volunteers; Built and maintained relationships with funders, volunteers, clients and the community-at-large;• Created organization structures, built efficient systems for getting work done that meet best practices standards and legal requirements; continuously improve the organization’s functioning;• Selected, trained, developed, supervised, evaluated and rewarded/recognized volunteers;• Worked with the Board to develop a diversified, adequate funding base;• Worked with the Board to develop policies to guide the work of the organization; administer approved policies;• Developed evaluation systems, evaluate results, and report results to the Board and other stakeholders regularly.• Developed the CDF Freedom School model in Nashville using parents as our Freedom School Teachers; • 33rd Annual Bravo Pencil Foundation Partner Mayor Honorable Mention Award for implementation of Hope CDF Freedom School (2013)