We are out of time, unfortunately, it has been a great conversation. Thank you. [ applause ] [ music ] a conversation now at the white house Public Engagement director, stephen betjeman on infrastructure, its impact on u. S. Communities, and the future of the Technology Workforce. This runs 20 minutes. Next next up, tracy owens, director of u. S. Public affairs. [ applause ] good afternoon. As you just heard, my name is tracy owens. I lead Public Affairs for the u. S. At sage. I am also a very proud alumnus of the college. [ applause ] absolutely. I am grateful for the opportunity that more ounces provided me. I am even more grateful and out of the opportunities that it is continuing to provide for students. You will hear a bit more about that later. Before i discuss more about moorhouse, let me tell you a bit about sage. For those of you that dont know, sage is a uk 50 tech Company Founded just over 40 years ago with about 10 billion pounds. They have 11,000 colleagues globally. Sage is a financial and Payroll Company for small medium businesses that make up 90 of the u. S. Economy. Enable them to streamline operations, make more informed decisions, and be more productive. We bring Business Owners from, increasing productivity. While we are headquartered in the uk, in the u. S. , we are headquartered in atlanta. This is a rapidly growing community. We have a number of investments there, including a new building that quadruples our Square Footage space in atlanta. We also have a lot of investments in the Skills Program to support entrepreneurs. The Company Purpose is to knock down barriers, so everyone can thrive. Ages committed to working together with the right partners to yield a trusted and inclusive Digital Economy. The ai vision is a world where Business Leaders have real time , trusted information about their businesses performance to guide strategy. We want to grow the Digital Economy sustainably, with a diverse, human culture. With Rapid Advances in ai, which will have a profound, and ultimately positive effect on work, there is never been a more important time for and hes like sage to embrace Community Partnerships to ensure that progress is inclusive, and it can be scaled. Too often, technology is rolled out with a one size fits all mentality, even though it has lasting consequences on those not considered during its development. Not having a diverse background, risks missing out on the keenest insights available to make Technology Work at its best. That is one reason why sage partnered with [ indiscernible ] and warehouse college. That includes my , as well. Two create conversational ai program, providing color with more opportunity to study emerging technologies. It provides mentoring and internship programs to make sure we capitalize on the talent opportunities. Im delighted that dr. Boucher and more students are here today. If they would not mind, they could stand for a second. I would love for them to be recognized. [ applause ] we are joined by a couple of my colleagues from sage, who have been instrumental in making sure that these programs cannot the ground and running. They are big supporters of our efforts. Josh, if you would not mind standing . [ applause ] thank you. Dr. Boucher and moorhouse partnered with colleges in atlanta and beyond for the wider opportunities to broaden the impact on diversifying the technology field. This is not just doing what is right and just, but also what we should be doing to build strong communities, and removing barriers to success. Diversifying the workforce in general, technology specifically, bring some of the greatest power available to create the best product and services possible. Diversifying technology is not enough. We also believe that making sure Small Businesses have an opportunity to thrive, particularly those that have historical and systemic barriers placed in front of them. Sage not only wants to increase diversity the Technology Systems , we want to provide the services to those that need them the most in the marketplace. We are looking to elevate human work sawing customer needs, eliminating the repetitive, and building trust. Trust requires that we have the most diverse thinking available, and other table. Ai will modernize and re envision accounting roles. It will make them more appealing to a new generation of talent. Talent from all walks of life. Ai can handle routine tasks like arrow spotting and transaction records. It can improve life and work balance by handling tasks and autonomously. Ai supports worklife balance in remote work. It will feed into the demand for a new workforce that is emerging. Diversity technology, not only does not just mean for the technical roles. It means diversity across the entire company. It all works together to build the best product and services for customers. To be clear, technology does not belong to one company. As we know, the telnet does work for us, but likely for a lot of people in the room right now. It is in, then all of us participate in building the next great workforce. It helps with all communities to make sure the work we do is the best it could possibly be. In closing, i was a that sage is working to change how Technology Provides far more inclusive environment, that helps build the next great workforce. Ownerships like moorhouse are just part of it. It is a very important part. More is needed and we are committed to doing more towards that effort. Collectively, we could make a huge difference. We look forward to working with many of you in this room on the journey. We hope we can make a really big difference in how the Technology Workforce, and beyond, looks into the future. Thank you very much. [ applause ] [ music ] please welcome back, jason with mayor, stephen benjamin, Senior Advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. [ applause ] thank you so much for being here with us. Thank you for making the trip over from 1600 pennsylvania to join us. It is an honor to have you here. Is thank you, i dont live there, i just worked there. Thank you for taking a trip over from work. The work you are doing, on behalf of the Biden Administration, is focused on engaging communities like ours, the Technology Industry had other constituents to drive the priorities of the administration. We appreciate, first and foremost, how much you have given us the opportunity to purchase a raid in that process. We are looking the efforts you are using to drive this forward. One that is top of mind is the implementation of the chips and science act. I would like to get your perspective on that. Obviously, the bipartisan and the structure law as well. Lets start with the work that is happening. What requires work and efforts. First of all, thank you. It is powerful. I would think my wife. I say thank you for this. Thanks for the partnership. We do the Public Engagement for the rally. If you have not had a chance to work with us in the past, you have the three states of government, and the fourth day is the media, then you had the fifth stage, those in you in this room, civil society, the work every day as subject Matter Experts with challenges facing the country. We were together to make sure that we are proselytizing and raising a priorities, but we are doing what my grandmother would say, god give you 2 years and one knob for a reason. It engage more than you talk. We are getting critical feedback that hopefully helps us do our jobs better everything will day. That is what the president has asked us to do. The investing in america agenda in its entirety has been incredibly successful. We see it every other week with the new economic announcements on job creation. Obviously, we are returning critical supply chains but the announcements around c. H. I. P. S. They were challenged during the pandemic. We are seeing the benefits of it. Was pulling up the statistics on the info structure bill, which has been amazing, not just to show what we can do. I am a former mayor, i was the mayor of columbia. We come up here every other month for every structure week. Finally, this is now building 136,000 miles of road, almost 8000 bridge projects and 14 million new jobs across this country. We have seen unemployment under 4 for 2 years running. We are seeing really smart economic development. We are working with c. H. I. P. S. Bringing back critical supply chains and creating jobs for people that dont necessarily have to have an advanced degree. It is allowing us a degree of security at allowing more and more people access to the middle class, unlike any other time in american or world history. These are exciting times. It is as important as the public investment, reality is that while the numbers that we see, the 1. 2 trillion in infrastructure, or what we are seeing with c. H. I. P. S. , or the American Rescue plan. These numbers represent a leverage. This is a significant investment. It is being complemented much more aggressively by the private sector in partnership with the public. We have half 1 trillion in the private sector announcements, complementing these investments. If we do this right, it will pay benefits for posterity to improve the health of our economy and our families. One other area of the digital and Infrastructure Investment that you have been focused on is addressing the Digital Divide, and making sure that all americans have access to broadband, which is an important goal. We look at access to education, medical care, and future opportunities. We know that the Digital Divide is pervasive. Congress, on a bipartisan basis has supported a lot of programs that help to invest in the closure of the divide. We are looking at the affordable connectivity program. According to the sec, will close tomorrow because congress has not started it back up again. This is one of those programs. Can you talk to me about the interest in continuing this work . Your view of how the Digital Divide needs to be addressed . What congress should be doing to help foster more and broader access to broadband for all americans . To make i dont know if Alan Davidson has gone up yet. We shared the First Authority responder. I look at the incredible work he is doing to build 20 for sentry infrastructure. They are literally making sure that every community in urban america and suburban america, and more has access to the internet. It is necessary in every field of life. I think theyre moving something in the neighborhood of 90 billion. The success of this wonderful partnership, with internet providers that manifested itself in that acp program cannot be overstated. Not taking new applicants, as of this week, the program will expire this spring. You think about the scale and how it it got to this point. We are talking about 23 Million People across the country that use the acp, to get them free internet. We have heard story after story of real families and real issues, but for this program, they would not have access to the internet. Many of you are aware the s. N. A. P. Program. Only 29. 7 Million People are on s. N. A. P. 23 Million People are using acp. I used to be a politician, now i work for the government. I cannot tell you to go do something, and navigate. Those that dont have a voice, it is important that the same leadership that you will do, we are looking at making sure that everyone is willing to step up. The good thing about it, when you reach that kind of hail it affects everyone, in every community. Hopefully and prayerfully, and stands up and helps us with this program, hopefully able to bend it. You make the president has been on the road for weeks or months, talking about this Infrastructure Investment, with the c. H. I. P. S. Act. It is bringing a lot of great Construction Projects to places around the country. It is important for national security. I wanted to ask you, given you spent 12 years as a mayor, how we can help local communities, states, and municipalities we are looking at the investment in infrastructure and the upgrades to systems. We look at the Technology Investment that the i. T. Members are doing. How can we help the rest of the country to understand how important that these are. How much do they that is the story we should be out there talking about. I am the former mayor and the former president of the u. S. [ indiscernible ] mayors. Im forever president of the mayors admiration society. Mayors get it. They see the significant investments. It does have have partnerships with each and everyone of you that are true leaders in this. We are making sure this is not one time investments. If you build a thoughtful partnership, it allows you to strategically invest for posterity. We have done this prayerfully. Hopefully we will not have a pandemic anytime soon, or any other significant social or economic disruptions. We should always think about how we build for the future. When we talk about these investments being strategic and it will leverage for a long term tear. We have the public, private, and washes sector. Certainly house. All sectors have something in common. Many of these are very thoughtful, place based investments, that taken the unique characteristics of each community. I will tell you, if you dont already have a relationship with the mayor in the city we work, i would encourage you to reach out to her or him. Figure out how to inform each other as to how to figure out how these investments, not only affect me and you, and our children, and our childrens children. I would ask you about s. T. E. M. Education and workforce opportunities. We heard tracy, from sage. We have a great group from morehouse visiting with us, tracy did not mention this. [ indiscernible ] is responsible for producing more, black, male, graduate with masters and phds than any other professor in the country. I did not just make that up. [ applause ] the Technology Industry is focused, with the help of the great people at morehouse, creating s. T. E. M. Opportunities for historically underrepresented communities. The Biden Administration is focused on this as well. All of this investment, Companies Need more skilled workers. What is the focus there . I was hustling in the back like my teenage daughters do. I heard morehouse and spelman as well. I have a freshman at spelman. My heart and my money go to spelman college. I have to shout them out as well. The investment and the talent pipeline, it cannot be overstated. It is important to our national security. It is important to reach deep and wide building the pipeline. I would encourage you, if you are investing in your company, make sure we dramatically widen and deepen the talent pool of these amazing young people, like those at morehouse and spelman, and other colleges across the country. I would say that you are missing out. Im not just talking anecdotally. Data shows that when you invest in a truly Diverse Talent pool, when we build up the infrastructure, internally and domestically, you do well. You profit from it. I would encourage you to do so. It is critical. Every degree, every job does not require a degree. There are different people that will benefit. This will allow us to build from the bottom up in the middle out. If we do that, working people will do much better. The middle class will continue to grow. Does it do well will continue to prosper as well. Is my time up . Thank you for all