Technology Access Foundation

Please welcome Donya Loyd Kemp, TAF's new Director of TransformED! We asked her a few questions to help you get to know her. Welcome to the team, Donya! 🎉

Why are you excited to join TAF?
"TAF's work brings together so many things I care deeply about: liberatory pedagogy, project-based learning, innovation, and authentic partnership with communities... I'm especially excited to contribute to work that recognizes the brilliance of students, particularly students who have historically been underestimated, and creates the conditions for that brilliance to thrive."

Who shaped your path to this work?
"My mom has been the most influential teacher and mentor in my life... She showed me that education is both a profession and a lifelong commitment to service."

Your favorite thing about Seattle so far?
"The donut culture! I had no idea Seattle took donuts so seriously."

Something people might be surprised to learn about you?
"I am completely obsessed with stickers. I genuinely believe almost anything can be improved with the right sticker."

Something you’re proud of outside of work?
"My children... Watching them discover their own interests, develop their voices, and grow into themselves is one of the greatest joys of my life."

Teachers of color show up every day for their students, often as the only person on staff who looks like them, and it takes a toll. Data shows they leave teaching at higher rates than their white counterparts.

According to a survey conducted by our Network for EdWork and Pacific University, only 55% of 303 teachers of color surveyed felt equipped to navigate conflicts with colleagues or administration.

Our Martinez Fellowship was built to change that. It gives early-career educators of color real community and the space to bring their full, authentic selves to work, something that carries into their classrooms.

Read more in our 2026 Report Card: go.techaccess.org/RC2026.

At Roosevelt Elementary in Tacoma, 2nd grade teacher Genitee Flanagan Haynes and TAF coach Jackie Wardrip-Smith have spent two years teaching as a team, bouncing ideas off each other, adjusting lesson plans together, and building a classroom where learning feels real.

Their most recent project on salmon life cycles is a perfect example. What started as a science lesson turned into something bigger: students exploring what it means to be part of a community, then advocating for salmon preservation in their own words.

"Rather than learning about history and what's happened before, it's learning what can we do now, together," Genitee shares.

Read the full story in our recently-released 2026 Report Card. go.techaccess.org/RC2026

"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." That proverb has guided every step of this journey, and it's proof in our proudest achievement, generational change.

30 years ago, TAF's mission started simple, bring technology to communities of color. Since then, that mission has grown into something much bigger. None of it would be possible without the families, donors, partners, and community members who've stood with us through every shift, challenge, and season.

Our 2026 Report Card celebrates where we’ve been and where we’re going. Read more: techaccess.org/2026-report-card.

Our annual Report Card is here, and we couldn't be prouder to share it! 🎉
This year's stories carry a theme close to our hearts, teaching was never meant to be done alone.

▪️The 2026 Report Card is packed with moments worth celebrating, like:
Students turning a salmon life cycle project into a call for environmental advocacy
▪️Brigadoon Elementary students growing plants that now live in the TAF@Saghalie garden
▪️Stanton Academy students leading a full courtyard remodel, from fundraising to planting

As we mark 30 years of this work, we're beyond grateful for the families, donors, and partners who've made every one of these stories possible. Explore the full report card: techaccess.org/2026-report-card.

Last chance to vote for Trish!

The SXSW EDU 2027 session, "From Access to Authority: Who Gets to Shape AI?", explores how leaders can build the power Black and Brown students need to shape the AI systems shaping their lives.

Voting ends August 23rd. Vote here: tinyurl.com/TAFSXSWEDU.

Mark your calendars! We’re partnering with Urban ArtWorks to celebrate the end of summer with a TAF mural unveiling and summer showcase.

Join us as we unveil a new mural by youth artists in the Mural Apprentice Program (MAP), plus artwork from Urban ArtWorks summer programs. Light refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to the public.

Friday, August 28, 5-7pm at TAF's Bethaday Community Learning Space.

RSVP link in bio, we hope to see you there!