During this past Spring 2023 semester, Lighthouse Silicon Valley was a client for the Sbona Honors Program in Marketing and Business Analytics. This project was also in partnership with the Commonwealth Fund, Harkness Fellowship, and Stanford University for a national launch event based on a study centered around artificial intelligence and racial biases. The Sbona team consisted of both marketing and business analytics students, who conducted research on the student body about artificial intelligence and lockdown browser in addition to researching ethics within artificial intelligence.
Lighthouse Silicon Valley was founded in San Jose, CA in 2021. Lighthouse is aiming to address inequalities faced by marginalized communities by promoting engagement, fostering ecosystem development, creating safety net services, and supporting workforce development. They have prioritized Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) opportunities that aim to uplift vulnerable populations by providing them with family-sustaining wages.
In the Lighthouse Quarter 1 Executive Report, Quency Phillips, executive director of Lighthouse Silicon Valley reflects on the accomplishments of the company. In the past 21 months, Lighthouse has been able to double its network size, and increase staff capacity, while becoming a 501(c)3 organization. They have also received recognition from the National Science Foundation, secured major donors, and became a member of the City of San Jose COVID Task Force as well as the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative Leadership Advisory Team.
Lighthouse understands that although much has been accomplished there is more they can do for the community. Their team is actively working on workforce development, sustainability, and advocating for policy changes with a plan that works in two phases. Phase one involved continuing to find partnerships while phase two is focused on using their 501(c)3 organization to support their network of 150 stakeholders to establish stability. Lighthouse plans to meet with over 50 organizations on May 31st, to discuss curriculum and workforce development within K-12 education, adult education, immigrant, reentry, and refugee communities. This plan aims to collaborate with trades, labor, and community college partners to ensure inclusivity. In conclusion, the first quarter of Lighthouse Silicon Valley’s performance has been remarkable, and am confident that 2023 will hold great success for the company.