Fellowship to Help Scale Heartland Forward’s Efforts to Expand Economic Opportunity, Create Jobs and Spark Innovation Across the Heartland
Bentonville, Ark – Heartland Forward announced today that it will work with Microsoft to expand economic opportunity, job creation and innovation across the heartland through the Microsoft TechSpark Initiative. The TechSpark Community Engagement Fellowship is a key element of Microsoft TechSpark, which fosters inclusive economic growth across communities nationwide. As a TechSpark Fellow, Microsoft will support Heartland Forward’s efforts to accelerate AI education and readiness, strengthen regional competitiveness and expand the talent pipeline across the heartland.
“The heartland is where I was born, raised, started my career and chose to build my life—and I know when heartland communities get the right training and resources, they thrive,” said Mary Larkin Furlow, senior manager, Heartland Forward. “I am honored to be selected as a TechSpark Community Engagement Fellow and join a network of leaders and innovators working to make AI a tool for economic opportunity for all.”
Heartland Forward is applying policy, research and community-driven programs to help the heartland lead the way in harnessing the power of AI by convening the Heartland AI Caucus, developing of a first-of-its-kind gamified AI curriculum for students and entrepreneurs and conducting regular polling to learn how heartlanders are feeling about using AI. The policy think-and-do tank regularly convenes stakeholders to facilitate discussions by hosting AI salon dinners and AI roundtables to capture community perspectives about AI’s potential in heartland states and to help map the future of AI for our communities.
“When communities are trusted and empowered to lead, they not only catch up—they leap forward. Through TechSpark Fellows, we are deepening our work in local communities to ensure AI becomes a bridge, not a barrier, to local prosperity and innovation,” said Mike Egan, General Manager, Microsoft TechSpark.
Heartland Forward is among a select group of TechSpark Fellows, who are nonprofit leaders embedded across communities in every state nationwide. Since its inception in 2017, Microsoft TechSpark has helped communities across the US and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico secure more than $700 million in community funding, skill 65,000 people, and create 4,500 jobs. Read more about Microsoft TechSpark here.
“Mary Larkin has played a vital role in strengthening regional competitiveness across the heartland,” said Angie Cooper, president of Heartland Forward. “As a TechSpark Fellow, she will help bring AI training and opportunity to more people, creating jobs and preparing the heartland to lead in the economy of the future. We are excited to work alongside Microsoft and connect their expertise with communities across the region.”
Sign up for Heartland Forward’s newsletter sharing the latest in AI news and insights from heartland states.
About Heartland Forward
Heartland Forward is a non-profit, policy think-and-do tank that turns ideas into action for states and local communities. Our mission is to accelerate economic growth, change the narrative about the middle of the country and generate $500 million of economic impact to the heartland by 2030. We do this through applied research, community-driven programs, policy and convenings—focusing on regional competitiveness, talent pipeline and health and wellness.