The
Awards
Change Agent
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee
The Change Agent award honors an individual in public service or social justice whose significant contributions to connectivity have helped support underserved populations, including the LGBTQ+ community.
About Dr. Nicol Turner Lee
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation, and serves as Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank. Dr. Turner Lee researches public policy designed to enable equitable access to technology across the U.S. and to harness its power to create change in communities across the world. Her work also explores global and domestic broadband deployment and internet governance issues. She is an expert on the intersection of race, wealth, and technology within the context of civic engagement, criminal justice, and economic development.
Superstar Center
The Superstar Center award honors a PowerOn partner center/organization that has made outstanding contributions to the program and to the community the organization serves.
Finalists
About
Kaleidoscope Youth Center
Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the largest organization in Ohio serving and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and young people.
About
Triangle Community Center
Triangle Community Center empowers and advocates for LGBTQ people in Connecticut through programming focused on health, community and learning.
ROLE MODEL
The Role Model award honors a youth who sets the bar for themselves and their peers while participating in the PowerOn Program.
Finalists
About Mackenzie
Mackenzie is the Transgender Services Fellowship at OUTMemphis. Mackenzie became
involved with OUTMemphis when she was 16 by attending PRYSM, our social support group for LGBTQ+ and allied youth, and by helping out and volunteering when possible. In 2016, Mackenzie joined the Sexual Health Committee and has helped put on events related to sexual health, helped with outreach, and assisted with HIV testing and distributing condoms at community events. In December 2019 she was given the Sexual Health Volunteer of the Year award and received a certificate acknowledging her ongoing dedication to HIV Prevention.
About Jordan
Jordan is a current college student at Pace University, studying Adolescent Education and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. He is currently in the process of starting a club at his school for students who are facing college with little to no support from family or guardians after facing homelessness himself during the 2020 year. In his free time, he enjoys writing, photography, and discovering New York City.
Visionary
Jacques & Kelli van Gool
The Visionary award honors an individual whose work has empowered LGBTQ+ individuals to achieve success through technology and the internet.
About Jacques & Kelli van Gool
Jacques and Kelli van Gool have been long supporters of PowerOn and specifically the projects and programs that have immediate impact. Their philanthropic efforts focus on organizations, programs and special events that benefit the underserved, children and youth. The van Gools give because they believe that no human should feel forgotten or be forgotten.