About Us

The roots of CDE began at Queens University of Charlotte with the launch of the Knight School of Communication and Digital Charlotte, supported by the Knight Foundation. These efforts focused on digital and media literacy as pathways to education, economic opportunity, and civic participation, establishing early leadership in addressing the digital divide alongside community partners.

Public, private, and nonprofit leaders — including the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, the Urban League, Queens University of Charlotte, and the Knight Foundation — came together to form the Charlotte Digital Inclusion Alliance (CDIA). This coalition sparked some of Charlotte’s first coordinated conversations about digital access, skills, and opportunity.

Developed through dozens of community listening sessions and cross-sector collaboration, the CDIA published Charlotte’s first digital inclusion playbook — the first in North Carolina. The playbook mapped existing efforts, identified gaps, and outlined shared strategies to expand access to devices, connectivity, and digital skills citywide.

Community-driven programs like Learn to Earn demonstrated the impact of pairing digital skills training with tangible outcomes. Volunteers worked alongside residents to build computer skills, and participants received the devices they trained on — reinforcing trust, confidence, and the value of practical, community-led solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep digital gaps as schools, work, and essential services moved online. Working alongside schools, nonprofits, and community organizations, Digital Charlotte rapidly adapted support models by launching hotlines, virtual office hours, and new ways to meet urgent community needs — accelerating the emergence of Digital Navigation as a core strategy.

Charlotte’s Mayor announced the $250 million Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative (MREI), recognizing digital opportunity as a key focus area. Funding supported a coordinated approach across five workstreams — including digital navigation, skilling, devices, data, and policy — formalizing collaboration among public agencies, community organizations, and funders.

Recognizing the need for a backbone organization to coordinate collective impact, Digital Charlotte and the CDIA merged to form the Center for Digital Equity (CDE), housed at Queens University of Charlotte. Named the lead partner for digital opportunity under the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, CDE formalized its role as a convener, collaborator, and advocate working alongside residents and ecosystem partners.

With guidance from a Community Council and an Advisory Board composed of residents and ecosystem partners, CDE began implementing its strategic plan. Investments in data dashboards, policy agendas, Digital Navigator expansion, and partnerships strengthened transparency, accountability, and long-term systems change.

As part of its five-year growth plan, CDE began scaling its model beyond Mecklenburg County to Union, Gaston, and Cabarrus counties. This phase focuses on refining a replicable, community-led blueprint for digital opportunity — grounded in partnership, shared leadership, and local context — with the potential to scale across the Carolinas and beyond.

In partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) Division of Aging, CDE launched Ageless Access — a statewide initiative expanding digital skills and technology support for older adults. The initiative aligned local organizations, Digital Navigators, and community programs across North Carolina, strengthening the ability to deliver consistent, trusted skilling support where older adults live and learn.