Meet Okta for Good’s Next Nonprofit Technology Fellows

In 2019, Okta for Good launched our Nonprofit Technology Initiative—the foundation of a three-year commitment to invest $10 million out of the Okta for Good Fund. We launched the Nonprofit Technology Fellowship in 2021 as a program within the Nonprofit Technology Initiative. The goal of the fellowship is to empower a diverse collection of rising nonprofit technology leaders to enrich the sector with their experience and become more effective strategic leaders within their organizations. 

During the six-month fellowship, participants develop at least one significant piece of content such as an article, conference session, or internal presentation. Okta for Good supports fellows with professional development through facilitated gatherings, one-on-one coaching, and networking in addition to providing a $25,000 grant to their organization.

We applied an equity lens to our program design and evaluation process, and we’re proud of the results: 50% of the cohort identify as female, 38% identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color, and 38% live outside of the US. 

For transparency, these are some of the poignant details of our process: the application starts with a relatively simple online form followed by virtual interviews for a select group of candidates. The screening and scoring process is conducted by a multi-disciplinary committee of Okta employees from the Okta for Good and Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging teams. To reduce bias, candidate names, titles, and organizations are removed during the initial screening. Then, interviews are conducted by at least two committee members who submit their scores separately. In addition to objective criteria (such as whether or not a candidate lives in a country where the Okta for Good Fund can legally make donations), candidates were scored on a rubric whose categories were authenticity, organizational leadership, sectoral leadership, self-awareness, and commitment. 

We’re honored and excited to work with this cohort of Nonprofit Technology Fellows:

• Patrick Anyanga - Chief Technology Officer, Afya Pamoja
• Michael Boeglin - Chief Information Officer, Mercy Corps
• Poesy Chen - Innovation Director, Mobile Pathways
• Virginia Dotson - Senior Director of Data, Business and Information Technology, University Settlement Society of New York
• Scott MacDonald - Lead Engineer, Callisto
• Melanie Meyer - Director, Nonprofit Technology Solutions, Tech Impact
• Joel Urbanowicz - Senior Director for Digital Workplace Services, Catholic Relief Services
• Nancy Yu - Deputy Executive Director, HURIDOCS (Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems)

We invite you to learn more about Okta for Good and join our mailing list to stay on top of future announcements and opportunities.