Ecosystem

Making a BIG Impact in a Small Town: Over a Million Dollars Invested with the Business Improvement Grant
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker All over Oklahoma, and the country, downtowns are disappearing. It is not uncommon to travel through a small…

Oka Camp: A Day of Learning, Reflection, and Connection at the Blue River
The rapids are a soft constant clatter The trees are starting to remember it’s fall All the plants are leaning into the…

Bridging the Digital Divide: How Ada’s Community Can Access Free Cybersecurity and Networking Courses
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Digital jobs are not just the careers of the future—they are the careers of the present. However, people…

From STEM Student to Tech Entrepreneur: The Journey of Andon Russell
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker When Andon Russell joined the Chickasaw Nation STEM Academy at age eight, he had no way of knowing…

Snapshot of the Conduit Initiative: A Multi-Pronged Approach to Entrepreneurship
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker There is no single way to build a tech entrepreneurship ecosystem. There is not a simple set of…

From Policy to Innovation: The Role of Water Clusters in Economic Growth
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Water is not only essential for sustaining current needs but also crucial for driving economic growth. In towns…

More Than Just Oil Changes: The Human Touch of Garage on the Go
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Sometimes an opportunity presents itself when you least expect it. And sometimes, if you are like Parker Deliz,…

Empowering Ada’s Workforce: A Digital Skilling Initiative for Economic Growth
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Workforce Development is crucial to economic development in a community. Businesses cannot function properly, and the possibility for…

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow: Hands on Innovation at Pontotoc Technology Center
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker Five high school students stand behind a work bench, their hearts beating with anticipation. They wait for the…

From Coding to Core Values: The Comprehensive World of Lego Robotics
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker When Emily Denney first started teaching at Homer Elementary, she never would have dreamed that her world would…