Meet Lynn Wilson | Professor & Social Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynn Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynn, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
SparqU is committed to becoming the leading resource hub for underrepresented and underserved communities. Our mission is to foster collaboration in the public and private sectors in order for there to be more opportunities for others to show up, start up, scale up, & skill up.

Our workforce development programs target under-represented & under-served communities.

We specialize in preparing people young and experienced to pursue careers in steam fields.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Having a diverse workforce in I.T. is an issue near and dear to me. I was part of the late 90’s dot boom era, working in the telecom field as a Senior IT specialist. I didn’t have many colleagues that looked like me, nor was there much mentorship offered to advance my career. As an educator, I have lectured about the paltry statistics of the lack of diversity in tech. However, I wanted to start using my talents to help increase minority representation and improve wealth inequality.

SparqU is a social enterprise that operates as an incubator for social entrepreneurs and organizations that provide STEM-based workforce training targeting underserved communities. In the last 2 years, the program has assisted in awarding almost 200 Internet Core Competency Certification (IC3) digital literacy certifications to over 100 people in Metro Denver despite the challenges of COVID-19. A vast majority were parents with children under the age of 13, seeking more opportunities to provide for their children, and achieve their career and life aspirations.

As a Sr. Tech Analyst in the late ‘90s and early 2000’s, Lynn understands the importance of technology and the opportunities that come with an understanding of using technology in productive ways. “We are in an economic boom in Metro Denver with $5 billion of new construction and infrastructure on deck. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock explained it as a cadence of development opportunities for the next 10 years.

By 2050, 48 percent of the state’s labor force will be people of color. Today, however, communities of color in Colorado are disproportionately low-income, face higher unemployment and poverty rates, and are more likely to live in affordable neighborhoods that are rapidly dissipating due to gentrification.” To level the playing field, he believes giving the underserved and the underrepresented access to college-level training and opportunities right in their own backyard will help them to enter better paying professional workplaces sooner.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Downtown Denver – 5 points (RiNo), Union Station, and the Highlands

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Mr. Ron Fontenot has been a long time mentor and collaborator. Ever since I was in High School I wanted to create an organization that would help improve the outcomes I saw in my community, and in similar neighborhoods. Mr. Fontenot and his wife, Patricia, have consistently developed programs to help kids of color consider career pathways into engineering and STEM pathways. Their non-profit is called Colorado Futuretek.

Website: www.sparqu.com