Meet Trish Millines Dziko: co-founder of Technology Access Foundation, and a passionate advocate for developing the genius in all children in our public schools. At least once a year, Trish has a moment where she realizes she is doing exactly what she was meant to do.

Raised with the belief that we have a responsibility to care for our communities, Trish is inspired by James Baldwin’s words, “For these are all our children. We will profit by, or pay for, whatever they become.”

Twenty-five years ago, Trish was traveling the country for Microsoft, recruiting college-level, technically-trained people of color, but finding only a small pool of candidates. Seeing this shortage, and reflecting on her own experience being discriminated against for her race and gender in the work world, Trish was inspired. She embarked on her own mission to ensure students of color have opportunities in the booming tech fields and that companies create environments where they can thrive.

With a commitment to recognizing and developing the genius in all children, Trish co-founded the Seattle-based Technology Access Foundation (TAF), a nonprofit that creates access to transformative systems of learning for students and teachers of color to eliminate race-based disparities in our increasingly diverse society.

Through Trish’s leadership as Executive Director, TAF became a statewide leader in public education, creating 2 co-managed public schools, partnering with public schools to promote the highest level of student learning, and increasing the number of teachers of color through the Martinez Fellowship. Trish has been recognized for her work with numerous awards including the YWCA Dorothy I Height Racial Justice Award, US News 100 Women Leaders in STEM, Seattle Business Magazine Tech Impact Champion, and Senator Maria Cantwell Women of Valor Award.

Where we are, Trish believes, is a moment of possibility, a crucial moment where – if we act quickly and with strength – we can transform our public schools to get rid of deficit thinking and focus instead on what would happen if every child had what they need to succeed.