Innovative Framework Goes Beyond Device Access to Equip Residents for an AI-Driven Economy
With backing from partners, funders, and the wider community, CDE’s strategy has grown from a single-county effort centered on digital access into a comprehensive statewide framework.”— Bruce Clark, executive director of CDECHARLOTTE, NC, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Center for Digital Equity (CDE), located at Queens University of Charlotte, has launched the Digital Opportunity Operating System (do.OS), a fresh community-focused model for digital equity. Serving as the cornerstone of CDE’s upcoming three-year strategic plan, do.OS provides a structure that enables communities to link existing digital equity resources and services into a unified pathway. This allows residents to access technology, develop digital abilities, and build the assurance required to generate lasting economic prospects.
do.OS rests on a straightforward idea: getting individuals online is no longer sufficient. As artificial intelligence transforms how people search for employment, manage benefits, and oversee their well-being, the true obstacle is not merely owning a device, but understanding how to employ new technology with assurance. For a resident, do.OS in practice could mean joining a digital skills workshop, getting advice from a CDE Digital Navigator, obtaining a personal laptop, and subsequently linking with workforce, healthcare, education, and community groups to sustain their advancement. Digital opportunity begins with having a device, but it endures through steady support that enables individuals to achieve their objectives, whether they are seeking a job, furthering their education, accessing medical care, or connecting with loved ones online.
“After being entrusted with substantial capital from investors in the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative in 2021, we introduced an ambitious vision centered on the conviction that everyone deserves the chance to thrive in an increasingly digital world,” stated Bruce Clark, executive director of CDE. “In the years that followed, we discovered that supplying access to technology is only the start. Thanks to the backing of partners, funders, and the broader community, CDE’s approach has matured from a single-county initiative focused on digital access into a wider statewide model that will emphasize a comprehensive approach to digital opportunity.”
Since its founding, CDE has developed a network exceeding 150 community partners who collaborate to enhance digital skills, drive policy discussions, support workforce preparedness, and forge durable partnerships that connect individuals to vital services. The Center for Digital Equity’s five-year and FY26 impact report, accessible online in interactive formats, showcases the diverse ways CDE and its trusted community partners have linked thousands of residents with essential resources, promoting digital equity and opportunity.
Impact at a Glance:
•CDE’s Digital Navigator program assisted 11,273 residents with tailored support through 15,503 Digital Navigation interactions.
•Over 20,000 devices were given to residents via programs such as Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s MeckTech initiative, E2D, and Human-I-T’s Gold Membership program.
•More than 1,000 community-based training sessions were held across the Carolinas.
The report pairs these results with key insights that will inform CDE’s future efforts, shifting from individual projects and isolated programs toward the new do.OS framework, which will assist communities in building coordinated systems of access and support.
Moving Beyond Device Access
Fresh alliances with organizations like Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont and the Cabarrus County Library System also broadened access to cybersecurity education, workplace technology skills, and device support during 2026. This work materialized through the rollout of the ConnectTech program and later the ConnectTech+ program. Delivered alongside partners such as Caterpillar Ministries and Camino, ConnectTech is a high-impact digital skills initiative where trained community members, known as Digital Navigators, assist residents in gaining confidence with technology—at venues like libraries, workforce centers, and housing communities.
“Many of the families we serve don’t own a computer at home. They handle their schoolwork, job applications, and everything else on a phone. Some of them lack internet access,” said Sarah Fortner, executive director of Caterpillar Ministries. “Our collaboration with the CDE tackles these gaps, enabling us to provide our community with the devices and digital skills they require to feel empowered and included.”
As programs were launched, ongoing input from participants, partners, and CDE’s Community Council guided CDE in refining initiatives to better fit community needs. For example, ConnectTech+ classes progressed beyond basic device access, offering residents training in job-readiness, AI skills, and cybersecurity. These insights, combined with five years of program execution, partnership work, digital skills instruction, and device distribution, shaped the creation of the Digital Opportunity Operating System (do.OS).
Over the next three years, CDE’s staff will concentrate on developing and expanding do.OS. CDE will gauge its achievements through shared data, standardized metrics, partner reporting, and community surveys, while persisting with research-based methods and community input throughout implementation. By integrating digital opportunity into civic infrastructure, do.OS is intended to aid communities in enhancing digital literacy and generating enduring impact across the Carolinas.
Discover CDE’s do.OS (Digital Opportunity Operating System) three-year strategic plan, a strategic framework that unites partners to build what’s next and create lasting impact.
About the Center for Digital Equity
The Center for Digital Equity, based at Queens University of Charlotte, strives to guarantee that every community member possesses the tools, support, and abilities to navigate digital life with confidence. In collaboration with over 150 local organizations, CDE weaves digital opportunity into the fabric of communities throughout North Carolina—one trusted relationship at a time.
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