National Digital Inclusion Alliance Names Casey Sorensen and Munirih Jester the 2019 Charles Benton Digital Equity Champions
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) announced the 2019 Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award winners: PCs for People CEO Casey Sorensen and Opportunity Home San Antonio Digital Inclusion Program Manager Munirih Jester.
Sorensen has headed PCs for People for over 11 years and crafted a self-sustainable, scalable social enterprise that is a national leader in digital inclusion. Under Sorensen’s leadership, PCs for People has grown from concept to a network of 300 nonprofits, 12 affiliates, and physical offices in three states that are working together to solve the digital divide. As a result of Sorensen’s efforts, over 250,000 people now have home computers and 128,000 people can access the internet in their home. PCs for People is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Munirih Jester serves as the Digital Inclusion ConnectHome Coordinator for the Opportunity Home San Antonio (Opportunity Home). Originally from Brazil, Munirih’s professional background is in Public Policy, Nonprofit Management, and Urban and Regional Planning. In her role as ConnectHome Coordinator, she has been able to deliver digital literacy skills training to nearly 2,000 participants, award nearly 900 free computers, and help connect 1,069 homes to the internet.
The Digital Equity Champion Awards will be presented on April 3 at Net Inclusion 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Named for Charles Benton, the founder of the Benton Foundation, the Digital Equity Champion Award was created by NDIA in 2016 to recognize leadership and dedication in advancing digital equity: from promoting accessible and affordable communications technology for all Americans to crafting programs and policies that make it a reality.
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance is a unified voice for home broadband access, public broadband access, personal devices, and local technology training and support programs. NDIA works collaboratively to craft, identify and disseminate financial and operational resources for digital inclusion programs while serving as a bridge to policymakers and the general public.
Benton, a non-profit, operating foundation, believes that communication policy – rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity – has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities to bridge our divides. Our goal is to bring open, affordable, high-capacity broadband to all people in the U.S. to ensure a thriving democracy.
CONTACT:
Angela Siefer
National Digital Inclusion Alliance
[email protected]