Creating greater access to digital technology has emerged as an aspiration with broad potential. At the individual level, digital access enhances or constrains opportunities for participation in modern society. At the community level, it is evolving as a measure of community health and vitality. At the regional level, infrastructure and access are baselines for economic competitiveness.

To pursue this aspiration, in June 2020, The Patterson Foundation created its Digital Access for All (DA4A) initiative, which explores the efforts of multiple sectors working to enhance access to technology that connects people in ways that foster inclusion and well-being.

Three essential elements or three “legs of the stool” emerged as critically important through The Patterson Foundation’s in-depth research and interviews with national thought-leaders in the digital access arena. The three essential elements of digital access are:

• Connecting: The ability to connect to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet
• Devices: Possessing the right device for one’s needs
• Skills/Support: Having access to the necessary training and support to use devices and programs effectively while solving technical issues when they arise

All three need to be present and work together for digital access for all to be achieved.

For more than a decade, The Patterson Foundation’s initiatives have emphasized embracing technology and maximizing its benefits to strengthen their work

Digital access is a basic necessity to connect to a variety of vital services that have increasingly shifted to an online format, including those related to education, health, and employment — a necessity that many asset-limited families and communities struggle to acquire. Discovering efforts and entities that are moving the needle on this issue and how each of them are working on it creates an opportunity to strengthen efforts to overcome the common obstacles to digital access.

In celebration of the fifth year of the Digital Access for All initiative, The Patterson Foundation hosted a Digital Access for All Symposium, Suncoast Connect: Innovating and Thriving in the Digital Age, on Tuesday, March 11 and Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Sarasota, Florida.

Day One: Tuesday, March 11, 2025

• Special Keynote Presentation: Luke Bencie, Managing Director at Security Management International, LLC (SMI).
• Dinner: Networking and community-building opportunities over a meal, fostering connections among attendees and speakers.

Day Two: Wednesday, March 12, 2025

• Full-Day Symposium: As the keynote speaker, Desh Bagley, Director of the Advanced Technology Center at State College of Florida provided insight and inspiration in broadband access, digital literacy and AI training to persons with barriers for workforce opportunities and economic growth. The entire day was packed with various activities designed to engage and educate attendees from across the region and beyond on the essential elements of digital access: connectivity, devices, and skills training/support.

Suncoast Connect: Innovating and Thriving in the Digital Age featured presentations, sessions, and exhibitions which included one or more of the three essential elements: connectivity, devices and skills training and support as they relate to the following:

• Connecting: Strengthening community anchor institutions including schools, libraries, health facilities, medical providers, public safety entities, institutions of higher education, public housing organizations, or community support organizations that facilitate greater use of broadband service by people of all backgrounds,
• Innovating: Sharing best practices and innovations in education, health care, and civic engagement that are evolving to develop partnerships and investment that increase equity, develop a more inclusive society, and provide for community well-being and resilience. This may include transforming the digital access landscape to address barriers of access, adoption, affordability, and awareness.
• Thriving: Connecting broadband expansion and digital access to economic competitiveness and economic mobility for all by increasing entrepreneurship, business growth, and competition while aligning workforce development programs to promote digital and tech job opportunities and strengthen the future talent pipeline.

Suncoast Connect featured a variety of notable speakers, panelists and presenters over the two days covering the following topics: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Partnerships in Digital Access, Digital Access Broadband, Skills and Support, and Devices Centers, Digital Navigation, Skilling and Upskilling for Digital Jobs, Entrepreneurship Connections, Tech Jobs and Economic Mobility, and The Connected Economy. See a list of presenters below.

• Allison Imre, Grapevine Communications
• Andrew Spector, The Patterson Foundation
• Brent Giangregorio, Women’s Resource Center
• Cheri Coryea, The Patterson Foundation
• Debra Jacobs, The Patterson Foundation
• Desh Bagley, State College of Florida
• Ericia Henry, The Patterson Foundation
• Jacob Saur, CPE, RPL, ENP, Arlington County, Virginia
• James W. Jacobs, Cyber Florida: Florida Center for Cybersecurity at USF
• Jasmine McNealy, Ph. D, University of Florida, College of Journalism and Communications
• John Ferguson, Indiana Philanthropic Alliance
• Joshua Matlock, CareerSource Suncoast
• Laurey Stryker, Ed.D., The Patterson Foundation
• Lisa Grasso, Grapevine Communications
• Luke Bencie, Security Management International, LLC (SMI)
• Michael Corley, The Patterson Foundation
• Mischa Kirby, Community Foundation of Sarasota County
• Neirda Thompson-Pemberton, FUNducation
• Paul A. Sohl, Rear Adm. USN (ret), Florida High Tech Corridor
• Sondra Guffey, DeSoto County, Florida
• Tom Kamber, Older Adults Technology Services (OATS)
• Veatrice Farrell, Digital Education Foundation, Inc
• Vlad Ljesevic, CMPSE

Exhibitors featured at the Symposium reflect the commitment of organizations participating in one of The Patterson Foundation Regional Digital Navigator Cohort Programs. Additionally, educational institutions within the four-County area of Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties were on hand to provide a glimpse into the types of training, certificates, and degrees available in digital access.

Exhibitors included:

• Aspirations to Actions
• CareerSource Suncoas
• Digital Access For All / Digital Navigator
• Goodwill Manasota
• Goodwill of Southwest Florida
• Sarasota Technology Users Group (STUG)
• SCF Advanced Technology Center
• Suncoast Campaign For Grade-Level Reading
• UnidosNow

Women’s Resource Center

In light of the challenging aftermath of Hurricane Milton’s impact on the Suncoast, The Patterson Foundation postponed Suncoast Connect: Innovating and Thriving in the Digital Age, originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, and Wednesday, October 16, 2024, in Sarasota, Florida. It was rescheduled for Tuesday, March 11, and Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Sarasota, Florida.

Suncoast Digital Connect is a virtual “Learning Thursdays” webinar series created by The Patterson Foundation’s Digital Access for All initiative. Inspired by the innovations shared at the Suncoast Connect Symposium, the series aims to educate, engage, and catalyze action around digital opportunity. Each webinar brings together thought leaders, innovators, and advocates advancing digital access across the region and beyond. Topics spotlight affordable internet, reliable devices, and the digital skills and support that enable individuals and communities to thrive.

In celebration of the fifth year of the Digital Access for All initiative, The Patterson Foundation hosted the Suncoast Connect Symposium on March 11 + 12 with various activities designed to engage and educate attendees from across the region and beyond on the essential elements of digital access: connectivity, devices, and skills training/support.

Suncoast Digital Connect: A “Learning Thursdays” Webinar Series is designed to convene thought leaders, innovators, and advocates who are advancing digital access across our region and beyond. Each session spotlights essential components of a digitally inclusive future, including affordable internet access, reliable devices, and the digital skills and support needed to thrive.