TechSpark Spotlight - Five Questions with Jenny Rojanasthien, Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Alliance

In this chapter of our TechSpark Spotlight Series, I passed the mic to Jenny Rojanasthien, Executive Director, Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Alliance (GWATA), to talk about the challenges and opportunities they have experienced in this unprecedented year, and the ways in which they are imparting computer skills and digital training in the community.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Lisa: Tell us about the Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Alliance (GWATA) and their history.

Jenny: GWATA’s mission is to bring people and technology resources together to create a thriving community. We focus on supporting entrepreneurs, STEM education, and technology in North Central Washington. The primary way we deliver value to the community is through our events, programs, and resources. Prior to COVID-19, we hosted over 45 events in 2019 alone, serving over 4,500 attendees across the region.

GWATA was started in 1999, to ensure that rural Washington – including our region of North Central Washington was staying ahead of the curve in terms of technology. Our initial focus was on encouraging businesses to adopt and take advantage of fiber development, with Public Utility Districts and the internet service providers laying out those networks. Although there are still big gaps in terms of broadband fiber access, we are one of the few communities across the country that laid out a lot of infrastructure really early. Now, 20 years down the road, it has put us at a prime advantage. Over the years, our focus has shifted to finding ways to support and encourage entrepreneurs and showcase technology inside our major industries, such as agriculture.

Video of 2019 Future Technology Leader of the Year Award Winners, "Galactic Farmers" from Almira/Coulee/Hartline Middle School  

Some of our earliest programs include the Innovator Awards Luncheon, where we celebrate the drive, passion and spirit of innovators who come from our region in the areas of entrepreneurship, technology, and education, while inspiring those who are just starting their journey.

In 2009, we started to identify the importance of STEM education and technology in the classroom in terms of workforce development. If we want to continue to thrive economically and encourage technology and business growth, we need to ensure this is a place for that in our local schools. We started with an award at our Innovator Awards Luncheon to recognize future technology leaders – innovative students who were shining outside the classroom. Over the last 10 years, this program has grown, and we have partnered with the North Central Education Service District to lead a series of programs and resources, and provide support through the Apple STEM network. We also work with Washington STEM to encourage and provide opportunities in STEM pathways for students.

Video GWATA created to promote computer science careers - The Future Is Now: Computer Science Workforce 

Lisa: We’ve partnered with GWATA to launch our Skills Initiative in the area. Can you talk about what you’re doing to get the word out?

Jenny: We are really excited about our partnership with Microsoft to launch the UpSkill Training Program. Along with an internal team at GWATA, we’ve built a website that provides all the resources that have been made available through Microsoft, LinkedIn Learning and GitHub. People can tap into digital skills, soft skills, as well as 10 in-demand career paths.

We are working with partners at the Apple STEM network, WSU extensions, NCW libraries, Work Source and others to ensure that we're marketing and getting out the information about our Upskill program across all the counties in North Central Washington.

The partnership with WSU extensions has been such a win for our nonprofit. We did not have any pre-existing relationships with our native communities and WSU extension centers built a strong relationship and pathway for that communication. They're helping us get this information out equitably across our region.

Lisa: How has COVID-19 impacted GWATA, and how are you pivoting to serve the community?

Jenny: COVID-19 has dramatically changed and impacted our nonprofit. Last year, we organized 45 events, and had similar plans for this year. When the pandemic hit in early March, we pivoted a few programs into a virtual experience. The rest were canceled or postponed.

"We could have fallen into a trap of seeing all the negative behind the changes, but there is so much positive that has happened. We're working hard to see this as the next phase in our chapter versus something that pulls us back."

For example, the Flywheel Investment Conference – it is our most important annual, full-day event that generates momentum and resources for early-stage companies. The third Flywheel Investment Conference was planned for April this year, with around 300 people expected to attend in person. Because of COVID-19, we moved it online to a virtual experience and over 1,500 people tuned in. It was such a surprising and unexpected success that we’re now exploring virtual options for some of our programs even as we go back to in-person events. 

Video of 2019 Flywheel Investment Conference Winner, Beta Hatch  

Also, as a small nonprofit serving a very wide geographic region, historically we have offered our services from only one location because of limited staff capacity. But now we can provide resources, like the digital opportunities through Microsoft, to everyone in our region and be more available than we have ever been before.

People have benefited from the remote options across our programs. We saw participation from students outside Washington state in the online challenges of the STEM showcase. Even during this terrible pandemic, we were able to spark curiosity about STEM, and as a nonprofit, that's the biggest thing that we can hope for.

Lisa: What issues and pain points have you seen in the community? 

Jenny: It's definitely brought a lot of inequities to light and made it very clear that we cannot wait to fill some of those inequities and gaps. 

With most of our schools doing virtual learning, families are facing issues with connectivity and access. The need for access to the internet is the same as the need for electricity. It is a fundamental need for students. One of the ways we're trying to lean in is by tailoring our communication according to our community. We have a high Spanish speaking population, so we create information on all the wireless internet options available in different cities in both English and Spanish. We're putting together information for purchasing wireless services at home and discounts available. We have Wi-Fi hotspots that families can check out from the library and are also building maps of Wi-Fi locations. 

COVID-19 also really hit our small, locally-owned businesses and entrepreneurs – especially our retail, hospitality, and service industries, which traditionally thrive on word-of-mouth and in person visits in a rural community. A lot of retailers and restaurants were forced into closure because they had no e-commerce platform or website or system for online ordering. 

We're excited to work with Microsoft in the future to bring digital transformation to our small businesses and entrepreneurs. We will create cohorts of 10 and train them in building their own websites and e-commerce platforms. The goal is empowerment – not doing stuff for other people. We want to ensure that our small businesses, at a minimum, have a website so they can build awareness, stay relevant, and most importantly, be easily found by people. 

Another need is training employees on how to be a great remote worker and tips and tools for setting up a successful work environment at home. Employers weren't able to give their supervisors any training on how to effectively motivate and manage remote workers. We are partnering with Washington State University extension and Microsoft, to pilot a program for remote worker certification this fall. 

GWATA’s Computer for Kids program 2019

Lisa: Tell us what inspires you?

Jenny: I always found the work we do at GWATA gives me back so much more in return. Whether it was last year when we gave 100 refurbished computers to kids who had never owned a device before, or helping an entrepreneur get an investment check that was an uphill battle. Moments like that make all the work that we collectively do worth it, not only as a nonprofit, but also as a community member.

TechSpark Spotlight: Through the TechSpark program, Microsoft partners with communities to understand their unique regional challenges and to explore solutions, programs, and partnerships that will be most effective locally. This first-hand account is part of the Microsoft TechSpark Spotlight series that shines a light on each community we serve.