News from the Ada Jobs Foundation
Ecosystem Building Revisited: Learning, Sharing, Connecting
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker “Entrepreneurship drives economies, but the success of entrepreneurs depends on those around them. That’s why we build ecosystems—or communities—for entrepreneurs. A thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem requires more than entrepreneurs…You and your...
Justin Berst’s Vision: Valor’s Pioneering AI-Driven Crime Prevention
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker “Hey, you in the blue shirt and ballcap! You’re trespassing and the police have been called!” The voice rings out in the night, seemingly out of nowhere, as the potential criminal looks around wildly, has second thoughts, and flees the...
Global Collaborations in Water Policy: Ada, Oklahoma, Bondo, Kenya, and the World Beyond
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker “There are many things that you can afford to go without, but the three things that we need for existence are water, food, and air,” Dr. Stephen Agong’ says pointedly. Agong’, a visiting professor at East Central University from the Jaramogi...
Cathlena Spencer: Technological Innovation Hiding in Plain Sight
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Cathlena Spencer first became interested in camouflage when she was a little kid. She was eleven years old, and her father was stationed at Fort Bragg. Being surrounded by the military culture, her young mind would look at the patterns around her...
Briana Coureur: Community, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Briana Coureur has always had a passion for community and entrepreneurship. When she was working on her Business Marketing degree at East Central University, she was always aiding others with marketing campaigns, blogs, and photography. She...
Breaking Down the World Into Data: A Conversation with Vinayak Mitty
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker When Vinayak Mitty was fifteen, he wanted to help his friend with a birthday surprise for his girlfriend. Mitty took a motor from a moped, added a pulley system and a conveyor belt, and made cakes, balloons, and presents appear from nowhere, like...
Bridging Millennia: The Fusion of Art and Technology in Cultural Preservation
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Dustin Mater caught his breath as enthusiasm overtook him. He was looking at images of Chickasaw petroglyphs when he started naming the different images and figures in front of him. He had his first meeting with Stephen Alvarez, and both of them...
Newsletter 10.15.2023: Economic Development News for the Ada Area
Read the 10.15.2023 Newsletter HERE! Want to receive news from the Ada Jobs Foundation? Sign up HERE!
Press Release: Ada Jobs Foundation Announces Departure of Jim Eldridge
ADA, OKLAHOMA – Ada Jobs Foundation (AJF) announces the departure of President and CEO Jim Eldridge effective November 3. Jim has been an integral part of our organization for seven years, and we extend our deepest gratitude for his dedication, leadership, and...
Newsletter 10.08.2023: Economic Development News for the Ada Area
Read the 10.08.2023 Newsletter HERE! Want to receive news from the Ada Jobs Foundation? Sign up HERE!
Coding, Collaboration, and Competition: Inside the Youth Coding League
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker It was August 29th and the anticipation in the Ada Jobs Foundation Conduit offices was palpable. Twelve fifth and sixth graders from three different schools in Pontotoc County opened their Chromebooks nervously, excited to begin their journey...
Newsletter 10.01.2023: Economic Development News for the Ada Area
Read the 10.01.2023 Newsletter HERE! Want to receive news from the Ada Jobs Foundation? Sign up HERE!
Unlocking the Sky: How Pontotoc Technology Center Is Training the Next Generation of Drone Experts
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker When drones first came on the market, many saw them as a toy, much like the remote-control airplanes and helicopters of our youth. However, while drones can be used for fun and recreation, the possibilities for applications of the technology, as...
Newsletter 09.24.2023: Economic Development News for the Ada Area
Read the 09.24.2023 Newsletter HERE! Want to receive news from the Ada Jobs Foundation? Sign up HERE!
Mapping our Present, Preparing for our Future: Mark Masoner and True North Mapping and Solutions
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker In 2010, Mark Masoner was working as a paraprofessional at Homer Elementary when he saw a BrainPOP cartoon about George Washington surveying the west. The cartoon stuck in his brain and he thought, “I want to do something like that.” Masoner had...