 | |  | Tricia Canavan Chief Executive Officer |
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| Tech Foundry’s 10th Anniversary year was one of celebration, growth and positive change. We are so grateful to everyone who participated in making 2024 so memorable. Whether you participated in our fundraising efforts, attended our workforce development panel in May, came out for our Gaming for Tech Night at Quarters in September or capped off the phenomenal year at our gala at MGM’s armory in October, your commitment to Tech Foundry’s work is exemplary. |
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| We are thrilled to announce that we surpassed our fundraising goal of $325,000 thanks to our community of supporters. The 10th Anniversary Innovation Fund will: Train more people for living-wage jobs through expansion of Tech Foundry and Tech Hub programs.
Increase the training topics offered to create additional career pathways and expand talent pipelines.
Build new partnerships to connect “opportunity youth” to careers which lead to economic stability.
Expand wrap-around services support to increase program completion and job retention rates.
As we launch our second decade of operations, we are so grateful for your support and excited for what's next. Please read on to learn more about recent Tech Foundry news.
With thanks for your partnership, |
|  | | | Tech Foundry graduated its Fall 2024 Cohort on Tuesday, January 14th at the Community Music School of Springfield. Speakers included Tech Foundry’s Founder, Delcie Bean and State Representative Carlos González, who gave the keynote address. In addition to receiving their graduation certificates, Rep. González bestowed special commendations from the State of Massachusetts Legislature for members of the Fall 2024 cohort.
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| | | In the spirit of growth and exploring new opportunities, we are thrilled to announce that Lian Duan joined the Tech Foundry team in January. Lian serves as our new Director of Strategic Initiatives and is responsible for leading the exploration, development, management and evaluation of new projects. Lian comes to Tech Foundry with an impressive professional history as an educator and leader with extensive experience in DEI-focused education, program management, and workforce development. |
| As a doctoral researcher at UMass Amherst, Lian contributed to advancing equitable access to computational thinking education through research and innovative initiatives. Her expertise includes grant writing and nonprofit program management. She is skilled in project management, immersive STEM education, curriculum development, and fostering inclusive environments. In Lian’s words, “I am dedicated to creating transformative opportunities for learners and organizations alike.” |
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| | We are also very excited to welcome recent Tech Foundry Alumnus, Florentino (Floyd) Zamarripa as Tech Foundry’s new Career Services Coordinator. In his role, Floyd will oversee all aspects of employer engagement, job and internship placement. Floyd’s professional experience ranges across marketing, small business operations, IT, and more. “I have a knack for engaging with community members and finding ways to make complex processes more efficient using technology.” |
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| And last but certainly not least, congratulations to Dr. Marie-Ange Delimon for her promotion to Community Impact Director! Marie-Ange graduated from the IT support training program in June 2021 and was quickly hired as the organization's Workforce Development Manager. In her 3.5 years at Tech Foundry, Marie-Ange has substantially grown our employer and community partner network, streamlined the recruitment process of our IT support training and upgraded our internship and job placement procedures. She has been a passionate advocate of our programs, student-members and graduates. Thank you for all you do for Tech Foundry, Marie-Ange. We are so grateful for your vision and leadership. |
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| | Tech Hub Springfield Set to Open in Spring 2025! |
|  | As we launch our second decade of service to the community, we are thrilled to announce that The City of Springfield has generously awarded Tech Foundry with a two-year grant to launch the Tech Hub Springfield, which will be housed adjacent to our downtown Springfield office at 1350 Main Street. The Hub will provide digital literacy classes, help desk support, device distribution and community workshops for Springfield residents seeking to improve their technical skills. |
| | Digital Fellow, Juan Torres, who graduated with the Fall 2023 Tech Foundry cohort has been hired as the Technical Manager to run operations in the new space. Juan brings several years of leadership experience in the property management industry to his new role. He was an essential member of the first Tech Hub team in Holyoke where he helped support the launch of digital literacy training, technical support services, community workshops and device distribution.
We will share more information about the grand opening, which is slated for early spring.
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