Announcing the 2024 PIT Summit

Contact: Kip Dooley, dooley [at] newamerica.org

“The name change reflects the growth and evolution of both PIT-UN and the public interest technology space,” said Andreen Soley, director of the Public Interest Technology Program at New America. “No longer just an intimate gathering of founding PIT-UN members, supporters, and funders shaping the field, the PIT-UN Summit will welcome stakeholders from all corners of the diverse PIT ecosystem. Our agenda-setting discussions will further galvanize the growing number of students, practitioners, and supporters eager to imagine, develop, and deploy technological tools, processes, and policies that that center the needs of people and communities.”

The 2024 PIT-UN Summit will be hosted in thought partnership with Network member San Jose State University (SJSU), Silicon Valley’s only public university, on Nov. 7-8 in San Jose, California. PIT-UN Summit leadership will develop programming based on the theme Transformation: Leveraging Technology for Workforce Development and Social Impact.

“San Jose State is delighted to welcome the PIT-UN Summit to our campus next fall,” said SJSU’s president, Cynthia Teniente-Matson. “Our university’s rich legacy in social justice is seen in our relentless commitment to supporting programs and resources that promote opportunities for historically underserved students. This, combined with our long-standing collaboration with civic leaders and seat in the heart of Silicon Valley alongside tech-industry giants, positions SJSU as a natural thought partner for PIT-UN and ideal host for its 2024 summit.”

The 2024 PIT Summit will engage leaders from across Silicon Valley and beyond, including representatives from the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors. In addition, activities such as the Spartan PITathon (WT) will provide students with opportunities to collaborate across disciplines to tackle real-world problems with an eye toward putting people at the center. Students will learn new skills as they network with peers and mentors as well as showcase their projects to future employers.

For more information about the PIT-UN Summit and how to become a partner, please visit pitcases.org/pitunsummit.

The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) fosters collaboration between universities and colleges to build the PIT field and nurture a new generation of civic-minded technologists. It has 59 U.S. members, including 70% of top tech schools in the nation, and four international members.

Since 2019, the PIT-UN Annual Convening has highlighted and shared best practices in researching, teaching, and growing the pipeline of talent within the PIT field.

The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San José State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees through its nine colleges. With more than 36,000 students and over 3,700 employees, San José State University is an essential partner in the economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing around 10,000 graduates to the workforce. The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 300,000 alumni, more than half of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley in downtown San José, SJSU is federally designated as a minority-serving institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Social justice has long been a part of the university’s DNA — most notably the 1968 Olympics, when SJSU’s Tommie Smith and John Carlos bowed their heads and raised gloved fists on the medal stand as the national anthem played, a moment commemorated by a statue on the SJSU campus. SJSU graduates go on to serve as leaders in technology, engineering, health care, education, research, the arts, and more.