Smart Columbus

How will self-driving vehicles reshape our city? 🤔

Harvard Kennedy School's Autonomous Vehicles Policy Initiative brings together policymakers, tech innovators, and community leaders for intensive 24-hour "Policy Scrums" to tackle the big questions around AV deployment, and this week it happened right here in Columbus!

These collaborative sessions help cities plan proactively for autonomous transportation. Columbus has been a leader in AV innovation, making us the perfect partner for this kind of forward-thinking work. 🚗

Thank you to all of our partners who came out to participate in this vital discussion 🤝

Happy from all of us at Smart Columbus! 🍂

Spotted around the city, a reminder that the future is digital 🌐

We’re helping residents level up their digital skills one course (and one sign) at a time. Keep an eye out for ConnectUs billboards, lawn signs, and benches around Columbus 👀

Learn about the Digital Skills Hub and more at https://hubs.la/Q03QWJSH0

That’s a wrap on our fall lineup of Ride & Drives! 🚗⚡️

Thank you to Worthington Enterprises & Worthington Steel, Advanced Drainage Systems, OhioHealth, Franklin Park Conservatory, Battelle, The Ohio State University, and The Columbus Foundation for bringing us out to educate your employees on electric mobility. We love to see and support a continued local commitment to lower the region’s environmental impact. 👏

Thank you as well to our vendors City of Columbus, COTA, EVUnited, VEO, and Spin 🛴

Finally, huge thanks to Event Marketing Strategies for all of their support! 🤝

That's a wrap on 👏

💡 At the Central Ohio Digital Inclusion Summit, we moved past the 'why' and focused on the 'how' we make sure digital access and AI literacy are the foundation for our region's inclusive growth and public health.

Here’s just some of what we took away:
→ Equity as a Mandate, Not an Afterthought - Duwain Pinder (McKinsey) warned that without proactive design, AI amplifies existing inequities. The key? Localized, community-rooted strategies to harness technology for economic mobility.
→ The System Needs an Upgrade - John Kellogg (CSCC/ESCCO) and Dave Cofer (Columbus State) championed tearing down barriers between K-12, higher ed, and the workforce. Success looks like scalable "earn-while-you-learn" models and more than 10,000 high schoolers already earning college credit.
→ It Starts in Early Childhood - Mario Basora (Future Ready Five) challenged us to see digital readiness as a kindergarten readiness issue, demanding cross-sector collective impact. The digital divide is an opportunity divide beginning at age five.
→ Health and History are Linked - Amy Sheon (Public Health Innovators) connected the dots: historical redlining now correlates with low broadband access and poor health outcomes. We must train Digital Health Navigators and design tools for the most vulnerable populations.
→ The Biggest Barrier is People - Carey McKay (HRACO Board) emphasized that organizational fear of change and culture are often the real roadblocks. HR leaders must step up to audit jobs for bias, hire for AI fluency, and embed equity in talent pipelines.

🗣️ Special shoutout to Council Member Nick Bankston for his time at the summit, and for his continuous support for digital inclusion in Central Ohio.

💻 Now we look toward the next steps to ensure Central Ohio becomes a model for digital inclusion, including the new device donation program, which brings together the private sector and community based organizations to distribute refurbished devices.

🔊 Today at the Central Ohio Digital Inclusion Summit we announced the ConnectUs Coalition's Device Donation program!

This program will change the game, allowing local companies to donate their used devices to be refurbished and find their way to those that need them the most 💻

Find out more: https://hubs.la/Q03MKPBT0

TODAY IS THE DAY ‼️

We're excited to welcome everyone to the 2025 Central Ohio Digital Inclusion Summit and hear from all of our wonderful speakers!

⚡ LIGHTNING ROUND ⚡

3 minutes. Big ideas. Real impact.

Tomorrow at the Central Ohio Digital Inclusion Summit, these members of the ConnectUs Coalition will rapid-fire share their work and the measurable impact they make on our community 🚀

IT'S OFFICIAL ✍️

🗓️ The City of Columbus has passed a Resolution of Expression officially recognizing October 6 - 10 as Digital Inclusion Week!

Local support is essential in our goal of closing the digital divide. Thank you to all of the council members who helped this go through 💪

🎯 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: We're thrilled to announce Duwain Pinder from McKinsey as our keynote speaker for the Digital Inclusion Summit!

💻 Duwain will address how technology serves as both a risk and opportunity in workforce development and how AI fits into digital access initiatives.

🎤 Introducing our Central Ohio Digital Futures Summit speaker lineup!

Celebrate with us at the main branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library, where leading voices in our community will share insights, strategies, and solutions that are transforming our region.

🔥 With expertise in healthcare, education, and workforce - these speakers represent the best of what makes Central Ohio a leader in digital inclusion.

🔗 Ready to learn from the best? Register here: https://hubs.la/Q03LZX8X0