“I would say it’s my motto in life. I think education and learning how to use technology, in general, is the equalizer in the world,” says CTN training manager Dima Khoury.
After a decades-long career in the corporate world, Dima was ready for her second act in life. A native of Palestine, she moved to the U.S. 34 years ago and completed her master’s in computer engineering at Santa Clara University. She then spent years creating software, managing people, and developing business strategies for tech companies across the Bay Area. At Cisco, she spent 20 years as the director of engineering and then director of business operations in the software group.
By 2014, Dima was ready to transition out of her corporate role. At the same time, she wanted to remain active and involved in her community. After hearing about Encore Fellowships — a unique program that matches skilled professionals approaching retirement with social sector organizations in need — Dima began a fellowship with the mayor’s office in the city of San Jose.
While there, Dima directed a national campaign called Generation to Generation that brings older adults into the lives of underserved and low-income youth. This role helped Dima apply her corporate skill set to a nonprofit setting as she created strategic partnerships, planned campaign operations, and forged relationships with government and NGO leaders.
Under Dima’s direction, Generation to Generation was a great success. Her yearlong fellowship turned into a three-year project. By the end of it, Dima was due for another transition. She looked forward to a year of traveling, resting, and enjoying retirement. All this changed, however, when the pandemic affected just about everything. “By summer of 2020, I said, I need to do more. I called back the Encore team and asked if I could do a second fellowship.”
At last, Dima found her way to CTN — where she was sure to make a great fit. Not only could Dima utilize her management and business skills, but she could also carry her passion for connecting generations and improving the lives of older adults. “I resonated a lot with CTN’s mission,” she says. “And luckily, the people of the CTN family are awesome. The staff, the contractors, the volunteers, they are in it because they believe in the mission, they truly feel for the seniors, and they really work hard.”
Today, Dima celebrates a year with CTN. Under her official title as Training Manager, Dima hires, mentors, and manages our contract trainers. Beyond her job description, Dima wears many hats. “This is my second act in life,” she reflects. “Yes, I want to deliver on what’s needed, but I want to give as much as I can.”
Leveraging her business development skills and newly formed relationships in the social sector, Dima is working to expand CTN’s outreach in the South Bay. She thrives in forming mutually beneficial partnerships and enjoys sharing CTN’s expertise with those who could benefit from our services.
“Technology is not an end goal by itself. It is using it to improve your life,” reflects Dima of CTN’s digital literacy programs. “I think CTN does a wonderful job at offering an end-to-end program. We should be really proud of the work, the depth of the work, and the impact that we can have working in multiple languages. My goal is that we can promote our programs and leverage CTN in different areas.
As we often say, Community Tech Network would be incomplete without the dedicated people who form our community. We are grateful to have Dima’s expertise, insight, and go-getter attitude as we build capacity and expand our reach!
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