Full Conference Program
Digital Opportunity Summit Pre-Conference – July 22nd, 2024
Chattanooga is thrilled to host the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s 2024 Digital Opportunity Summit — and equally thrilled to invite you to arrive a day early, to dig into Chattanooga and Hamilton County’s digital opportunity story and the collaborations which drive it.
On Monday, July 22nd, you’re invited to join us for conversations with policymakers and community leaders, focused on applying the lessons learned from a breadth of ongoing digital opportunity partnerships in workforce development, education, entrepreneurship, rural connectivity and quality of life.
Registration is open, but space is limited! Still many exciting details to come, so grab your seat to join us for a day of learning and community building (as well as some incredible food). We hope these Chattanooga stories will inspire you, in your work and as you dig in to everything Tuesday’s Digital Opportunity Summit has to offer.
Tickets, which include lunch and the reception, are $25 (plus tax and fees). Please reach out to summit@theenterprisctr.org with any questions or if a scholarship would allow you to attend.
Day at a Glance
Monday’s pre-conference will begin at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Chattanooga African American Museum, (200 E. Martin Luther King Blvd. Chattanooga, TN 37403):
- 10.00am Check-in, Coffee and Networking
- 11.00am Welcome Plenary
- City of Chattanooga
- Hamilton County
- TN Department of Economic and Community Development
- 11.30am The HCS EdConnect, Powered by EPB Story
- Deb Socia, The Enterprise Center (Moderator)
- Evann Freeman, EPB
- Lori Quillen, The Benwood Foundation
- Rachel Emond, Hamilton County Schools
- 12.30pm Lunch and Networking
Afternoon panels will take place at The Edney Innovation Center (1100 Market St. Chattanooga, TN 37405):
- 1.45pm Panel Conversations, Round 1
- Quality of Life: From Cradle to Aging-in-Place
- Melissa Callejas, Tech Goes Home (Moderator)
- Velvet Hernandez-Johnson, Unum
- Donna McConnico, Signal Centers
- Criss Grant, Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability (SETAAAD)
- Dr. Cait Steward, Hamilton County Schools
- Marvene Noel, Chattanooga City Council
- Digital Opportunity in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
- Sarah Mattson, City of Chattanooga (Moderator)
- DeJuan Jordan, LAUNCH Chattanooga
- James McKissic, ArtsBuild
- Lynn Chestnut, Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC)
- Quality of Life: From Cradle to Aging-in-Place
- 3.00pm Panel Conversations, Round 2
- Partnerships Supporting Connected Rural Communities
- Taylre Beatty, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (Moderator)
- Shannon Millsaps, Thrive Regional Partnership
- Dakota Gouger, Northside Neighborhood House
- Jacob Bearden, Community Development Consultant
- Digital Skills for Workforce Development
- Sammy Lowdermilk, Tech Goes Home (Moderator)
- Bo Drake, Chattanooga State Community College
- Greg Bagby, Hamilton County Schools
- Joe Jenkins, The BRAVE Effect
- Daniela LaCellle, Unum)
- Partnerships Supporting Connected Rural Communities
With a joint reception to follow back at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Chattanooga African American Museum with Digital Opportunity Summit attendees:
- 4.30pm Reception
*Please note that all times are EDT.
Accommodations
Coming in for the State Digital Opportunity Summit, as well? You can still book a hotel room at the Read House through July 8th: There is a courtesy block available to those attending the Summit, or both days of conferencing, for July 22nd-24th. Please click the link or call 423-266-4121 to book your room; government employees can receive the GSA per diem rate with an official government ID upon check-in.
Parking
