On Saturday morning Richard O'Bryant will call us to action in his keynote address, "Connect the Disconnected." He will sound a theme that has captured his attention and one that promises empowerment for communities on the wrong side of the "tech divide." It is also going to be a call that focuses on what people are already doing... making it concrete and not abstract.
About Richard: Dr. O'Bryant took leave in 2007 from his tenure track position to become director of the John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute – named in remembrance of his dad. Dr. O’Bryant joined the Northeastern University family in 2003 as an assistant professor of political science and a senior research fellow at the Center for Urban and Regional Policy. At the john D. O’Bryant African-American Institute Dr. O’Bryant oversees educational and cultural programs, services and activities focused on African-American students. Under his vision and leadership the African- American Institute has become more engaged with many aspects of Northeastern University including academic components,community outreach efforts, connecting with the NU Black alumni and the enhancement of the breadth and depth of programs and services offered. Dr. O’Bryant has also published several papers in recent years. His recent publications include a book chapter ICT as a Public Good: Community Building and Expanding U.S. Self-Sufficiency Policy (2008), a monograph Low-Income Communities: Technological Strategies for Nurturing Community, Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency at a Low-Income Housing Development published in 2005 in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s National Forum on Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Higher Education for the Public Good, and a review of Media Access: Social and Psychological Dimensions of a New Technology Use, published in February 2005 in the New Media and Society Journal.
An aspect of Dr. O’Bryant’s vision is to establish a community based research initiative focused on offering students the opportunity to engage in research. His most recent research activity and interests include the establishment of the “Connect-The-Disconnected” Initiative which identifies national and international efforts focused on connecting marginalized members of society to information, resources and social and political networks. Dr. O’Bryant’s professional experience also includes serving as a senior software engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation (now HPCompaq). He was one of five recipients of the 2002-2003 National Rising Scholars Award to Advance Research on Higher Education for the Public Good. He is a long-time member of the Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, a volunteer organization that works with young black males on positive self-development. In 1997 and 1998 Dr. O’Bryant served as fellow in MIT's renowned Community Fellows Program. He received his undergraduate degree in computer systems engineering from Howard University and a Ph.D. in urban and regional studies from MIT in 2004.
Celebrate 10 years of Grassroots Technology with the 
