About Us
About Us
We are a team with deep roots and decades of experience in digital equity and social justice work who are growing our impact as we scale our operations.
About Us
We are a team with deep roots and decades of experience in digital equity and social justice work who are growing our impact as we scale our operations.
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We envision a future where everyone has the opportunity to fully participate in our digitally connected society and economy.
Our Place in Digital Equity and Social Justice
Many digital equity organizations focus on one of the five core pillars of the digital divide:
As the owners of a significant telecommunications asset, we are able to address three of these areas:
Our telecom partnership provides us with our financial foundation. By combining our base income with revenue from our programs and spectrum agreements and investment income, we are able to fund grantmaking operations and expand our impact.
We are willing to fund or support unproven areas, ideas, and organizations that many traditional foundations and nonprofits shy away from. We accept that investing, testing, failing and trying again are part of our approach and have the patience, tenacity, and funds to embrace that cyclical process. Also, we explore grantmaking adjacent to digital equity when high-reward opportunities present themselves.
Our approach to addressing digital equity challenges can be implemented in any state, enabling us to expand our programs, form partnerships anywhere in the country, and work across our extensive network to promote advocacy among our partners.
Explore Our ProgramsAn Accessibility Philosophy
Full Participation in Today’s Economy & Society Requires Internet Access
Today, the digital divide prevents many historically marginalized people from being able to access a variety of important services, get and stay connected to friends and loved ones, and experience what’s happening in arts, culture, and entertainment. Students without online access can’t access classroom materials required to complete their homework. Wherever the internet is commonplace, people without access are keenly aware of being sidelined.
In the US, we are able to utilize an Educational Broadband Service (EBS) license issued by the FCC to provide schools, libraries, and social welfare agencies with affordable high-quality internet access. When paired with low-cost internet enabled devices, people are able to step across the digital divide, take advantage of what online access has to offer, and compete for jobs, wages, and opportunities in modern digital society.
We believe that making it easier for people to access the internet empowers them to be more involved in modern society and take advantage of existing opportunities in today’s economy and civic activities.
Internet Access is a Basic Human Need
As more and more educational, government, and nonprofit services move online, it is increasingly necessary to provide internet access to people who need these services. For rural, unhoused, elderly, and disabled people, the ability to access services online is becoming increasingly important for them to get vital goods and services such as food and medicines.
We believe that internet access is a core need for most people in modern society. It is central to providing access to many critical local and federal government and social safety net services which are now primarily or exclusively available online.
Educational Access Elevates All of Society
The ability to take advantage of the benefits of modern education tools helps students in under-resourced classrooms get an education that can help them get better jobs and take advantage of higher education opportunities. The digital divide compounds the opportunity gap and further disadvantages students in under-resourced communities.
We believe that access to online educational tools and resources positions students to succeed in school and beyond. It has been proven time and again that education is an important factor in people raising themselves out of poverty, reducing crime, overcoming systemic barriers and increasing safety in communities. Access to education truly benefits everyone.
Collaboration is Required to Close the Digital Divide
When digital equity leaders put their collective minds to addressing the challenges historically marginalized people face, it’s more likely that strides in social justice can be made. When working in isolation, leaders are limited in their experiences, learnings, and solutions. It is through partnerships, collaborations, and coming together that we can make significant strides in narrowing the digital divide.
We believe that collaborating and convening to make advances in the digital equity ecosystem allows social impact organizations to expand their efforts, grow their impact, and create greater systemic change.
Digital Equity and Social Justice are Intertwined
In many ways, the digital divide is a product of ongoing systemic inequity. We know that these conditions exist in under-resourced communities that have been subjected to social injustice for generations. While closing the digital divide cannot, by itself, deliver social justice, it is an important piece in achieving that goal.
We believe that working for digital equity is an essential piece in the pursuit of social justice. When people have internet access they are better positioned to overcome systemic inequity and elevate themselves in every aspect of their lives.
Our Team
Our tight-knit team had deep experience in nonprofit governance, management, processes, partnership building, operations, and programs for communities along with expertise in business development and technology’s role in social impact work.
Adam Miller
Executive Director
Adam is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader in the nonprofit sector. Recognized for his proactive and innovative approach to building and growing robust organizations, he has extensive experience in nonprofit governance, strategic management, and talent acquisition.
Before joining 35 Mile Foundation, he held officer and key liaison positions at EBS Support Services, a management organization serving its five nonprofit members.
Adam's experience in the social justice sector also includes stints at Special Olympics Texas and AmeriCorps Vista. He holds a Bachelor's degree from The University of the South, Sewanee.
Cassie Bair
Vice President of Broadband Services
Cassie previously served as the Chief Business Development Executive of Mobile Citizen. Cassie led Mobile Citizen from start-up social enterprise to an established wireless internet service provider serving all 50 states and thousands of organizations and end-users. Previously, Cassie was the VP of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at mGive and was a Director of Cause Marketing with the American Heart Association.
With a background in nonprofit and tech start-ups, Cassie firmly believes technology should be used for social good. She has a B.A. in Applied Communications from Appalachian State University and an M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communications from CU Boulder.
Luis Gomez
Program Director of Broadband Services
Luis brings 20+ years of experience working with nonprofits and the private sector in developing systems, management processes, and programs for communities in the US and abroad.
Prior to joining 35 Mile Foundation, Luis served as a Director of Operations for Mobile Citizen, where he focused on advancing social equity by providing internet access. He also served as the Operations and Field Director for the Appleseed Foundation, a Program Manager for the Clinton Foundation's Health Access Initiative in Ecuador, and instructor and project manager for international academic classes for members of the U.S. military.
Luis holds an M.A. in Human Rights and Democracy and a degree in Wireless Telecommunications.
Board Members
Our Board advises us based on their deep knowledge in the social impact, business, and technology fields.
Anya Dickson-Arguello
Current Board Member
Anya is the current and first appointed Digital Equity Program Manager for The City and County of Denver, working to bridge digital gaps that exist across the city. She is passionate about digital access, education, and user accessibility. She has a background in UX design and QA testing, but being the youngest of five, she jokes she’s always been an organizer at heart. Advocacy will always be a part of her career, and she is beyond excited to be joining the Board of 35 Mile Foundation. When she isn’t working, she can be found reading in a new coffee shop or solo traveling across the globe.
Sally Hatcher
Current Board Member
Sally is a venture capital investor, board member, serial entrepreneur, and startup accelerator faculty member. Her current work as Managing Partner of Buff Gold Ventures stems from extensive experience founding and managing her own startups, Precision Photonics and MBio Diagnostics, then training deep tech founders to become the next generation of innovators solving critical problems including climate change, quantum technologies, and drug discovery. Sally commits volunteer time to many educational programs and boards, including Silicon Flatirons Ethics Competition at CU Boulder and Groundworks arts education
Sophia Mayott-Guerrero
Current Board Member
Sophia is an experienced political strategist and advocate with over a decade of leadership in community education, grassroots organizing, policy development, and campaign strategy. She previously served as the Director of Advocacy and Strategic Alliances for the ACLU of Colorado, before launching a strategic consulting practice, and is currently on the Lakewood City Council where she leads the Housing Policy Commission.
Hailing from Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Sophia was raised in a family deeply rooted in the hippie, anti-war, Chicano, and civil rights movements. These foundational political values continue to inform her work and worldview. Her early career began in arts and education as the Arts Director for the Boys and Girls Club of the San Luis Valley, where she fostered youth engagement through creative expression and cultural empowerment. She continues to carry a deep love for the arts into her advocacy work, recognizing the power of creativity as a tool for social change.
Sophia’s professional journey has consistently centered on justice and equity, with a focus on uplifting rural communities and historically marginalized voices. Her work on the Government Affairs team at Conservation Colorado, where she developed a rural-focused, justice-oriented policy portfolio. Her strategic approach blends policy expertise, coalition-building, and a commitment to inclusive advocacy that reflects the lived experiences of the communities she serves.
With a dynamic background that bridges the worlds of art, activism, and policy, Sophia brings a holistic and deeply informed perspective to her work in political strategy and social justice.
Joe Pezzillo
Current Board Member
Joe has been with the 35 Mile Foundation since the mid-2000s and was originally recruited by the founder for his extensive experience in technology, business, and the arts.
A veteran of leading tech corporations such as Apple and Oracle, as well as years of startup entrepreneurism, Joe is also known for his decades of volunteering for community radio, and for founding one of the first internet radio stations in 1996.
A proud father, amateur chef, world traveler, patented inventor, tsundoku addict, and longtime Boulder resident, Joe is enjoying his current, slow transition from lifelong workaholic to hopefully at least someday becoming semi-retired.
Chet Tchozewski
Current Board Member
Chet is the founder and president of the RTC Impact Fund, a full-spectrum social and environmental impact fund designed to provide access to capital for mine-impacted communities around the world who seek to harness their natural resource endowments for sustainable development.
A serial social entrepreneur, Chet is the founder of the Global Greengrants Fund and the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center. Chet joined DAETC, now 35 Mile Foundation, in 2015.
Join the Board
If you are a professional with a keen interest in using your skills and experience to advance digital equity and social justice, we want to connect with you about becoming a board member.
Career Opportunities
As we grow our organization, we are looking for people with extensive experience in the social justice through digital equity space to join us in helping people cross the digital divide across the US and beyond.
Current Opportunities