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Meet Hilary, our Interim Executive Director, check out some Black Tech Resources and join our membership program, THE BRIDGE.

Meet Hilary

 

Leadership Transition

Hilary Shohoney, previously our Director of Community Development, has transitioned into the role of Interim Executive Director

Hilary was introduced to Free Geek in her time spent as both Outreach and Development at Oregon Chapter Sierra Club and Communication and Outreach Manager at Pacific Rivers. Prior to her time in the nonprofit world, Hilary worked as Senior Audit Analyst with Microsoft Licensing and as National Sales Director at Pappas Telecasting. With her prior experience in technology and nonprofit work as a profession, Hilary found herself perfectly placed for her current role at Free Geek.  

Hilary was first introduced to Free Geek while working at other Portland Area nonprofits where technology was necessary and the resources to purchase it were incredibly limited. More than once, Free Geek provided her team the technology they needed through their hardware grants program. Free Geek’s  mission inspired her. They were not only keeping e-waste out of landfills, they were also getting devices in the hands that needed it most. 

Growing up in rural Idaho, Hilary had limited access to the internet and computers. When she graduated High School and headed off to college this limited access created a real barrier. While many other students were able to complete their assignments at home, Hilary was spending extra time in the library really learning to type for the first time. Working at Free Geek, Hilary feels grateful to help break these barriers down for others. 

Our current Board Chair, Ryan Harvey, stated in regard to Hilary's new role: "In this time of transition for Free Geek, the board could not be more thrilled that Hilary Shohoney has agreed to step into the Interim Executive Director role. Hilary brings a great deal of credibility to the role, both with Free Geek's staff and to its community partners. Additionally, Hilary's talent, experience, and empathy position her and Free Geek for success moving forward. Under Hilary's leadership in this time of transition, the board is confident that Free Geek is well-positioned to tackle new challenges that are critical to further its mission, to sustainably reuse technology and close the digital divide for the communities it serves."

Congratulations on your new role Hilary!


 

 

Black Tech Resources

 

Tech Nonprofits Supporting the Black Community

When we say that our massive transformative purpose is to include everyone in our digital future, what we’re actually saying is that we care about equitable outcomes for members of our community. In light of our community's activism in working toward an America for all, it is essential to highlight the work being done by our Black community members. Check out these ten tech nonprofits supporting the black community:

Black Girls Code   imagine. build. create.

1. Black Girls Code

Black Girls CODE is devoted to showing the world that black girls can code, and do so much more. By reaching out to the community through workshops and after school programs, Black Girls CODE introduces computer coding lessons to young girls from underrepresented communities in programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails. Black Girls CODE has set out to prove to the world that girls of every color have the skills to become the programmers of tomorrow.

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2. Code 2040

Code2040's mission is to activate, connect, and mobilize the largest racial equity community in tech to dismantle the structural barriers that prevent the full participation and leadership of Black and Latinx people in the innovation economy.

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3. All Star Code

All Star Code creates economic opportunity by developing a new generation of boys and young men of color with an entrepreneurial mindset who have the tools they need to succeed in a technological world.

4. NSBE, Jr. 

NSBE, Jr. is an organization that helps young black students envision themselves in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) by providing students in grades 6–12 with fun, educational STEM activities and events. They also offer NSBE and corporate-sponsored scholarships to students entering college to major in STEM fields.

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5. Teens Exploring Technology

Teens Exploring Technology serves young men of color between the 7th and 11th grade who are from low income communities. Since 2009, they've used the concept of developing strong teams as a way for young men to learn about collaboration, ideation, and long-lasting life skills. In small teams, youths learn the process of taking an idea from concept to market.

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6. BlackcomputeHER 

BlackcomputeHER is a community of tech women that is changing the narrative around what it means to be a computing scientist with deep technical knowledge, invaluable resources for professional development, and research expertise in support of true tech inclusion.

7. /dev/color 

/dev/color is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower Black software engineers to help one another grow into industry leaders.

8. Hidden Genius Project 

Hidden Genius Project offers Intensive Immersion Program for black males, which involves a 15-month holistic mentorship experience that provides computer science, software development, entrepreneurship, and leadership training to black male high school students.

9. #YesWeCode 

#YesWeCode is a Dream Corps initiative to help 100,000 young women and men from underrepresented backgrounds find success in the tech sector by accelerating access to training in high-demand technical and non-technical skills to prepare untapped talent to enter the tech-fueled economy.

Black Female Founders

10. Black Female Founders #BFF 

Black Female Founders seeks to level the playing field by offering Black female entrepreneurs the information and resources they need to succeed such as networking, business mentoring and access to Venture Capitalists (VCs), Angel Investors and other forms of funding.


 

 

Join THE BRIDGE Today

 

Join THE BRIDGE

Our membership program, THE BRIDGEis a group of individuals determined to include everyone in our digital future. People like you, giving what they can, to prove to the world our efforts are unstoppable. By giving each and every month, you provide a backbone of support that puts more computers into the hands of those in need and provide digital skills training so that no one in our community is left behind.

Join today!