Awards and Media
2022
Winner - Technology Advocate, Tech Titans Awards, Robyn Brown
2021
Technology Advocate Award Finalist, Tech Titans Awards, Robyn Brown
Women Who STEAM Award, Dallas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Robyn Brown
2019
2019 Dallas City of Learning Superintendent’s Award
2018
2019 cohort, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Social Innovation Accelerator
2017
Honoree and Advocate, Dallas Business Journal Women in Technology Awards, Robyn Brown
Community Service Award, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Robyn Brown, Ben Davis
Bold Idea offers Dallas ISD students unique coding education - July 19, 2023
North Dallas Gazette
Dallas ISD News Hub
Bold Idea offers Dallas ISD students unique coding education - July 11, 2023
Over 100 Dallas ISD students discovered computer science this year through a unique, after-school coding program led by the education nonprofit, Bold Idea. The nonprofit’s ideaSpark Coding Clubs combine project-based learning in computer science with mentoring from technology professionals.
WylieISD.net
Wylie High School Student Recognized for Having Bold Ideas - June 19, 2023
Wylie High School senior Jessica O’Bonna was recently named a Bold and Bright Award recipient by Bold Idea, a Dallas nonprofit clubs and camps organization. O’Bonna is one of two North Texas students selected to be the inaugural honorees of this award.
Oak cliff advocate
Adamson senior awarded trip to NASA, summer internship with local tech company - June 7, 2023
An Adamson High School rising senior is one of two North Texas students being recognized for their advanced computer science skills and career aspirations in the technology industry.
Dallas Innovates
Dallas Nonprofit Bold Idea Names 2 North Texas Students for Its Inaugural Bold & Bright Awards - June 7, 2023
The award recognizes outstanding Bold Idea students who received hands-on learning and mentoring from volunteer industry professionals from top Dallas-area tech companies. The award winners showed advanced computer science skills, built creative coding projects, and have big goals. See who won—and why one could make the FBI happy.
Local Innovators, Fastest-Growing Company Honored at Annual Tech Titan Awards Gala - Oct. 31, 2022
Some of the top players in the North Texas technology ecosystem were honored Thursday at the annual Tech Titans awards gala. Fujitsu North America CEO Doug Moore was inducted into the Tech Titans Hall of Fame, and Charlie Vogt, CEO of telecommunications firm DZS, won the Corporate CEO Award. The fastest-growing tech company award went to Fort Worth's TimelyMD.
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Dallas Innovates
White Rock Lake Weekly
Bold Idea Closing Digital Skills Gap - September 1, 2022
By Robyn Brown
In a technology-focused world, few academic subjects offer more potential for impact and innovation than computer science. However, girls and Black and Latinx students have historically been underrepresented in computer science education and consistently experience gaps in access to rigorous STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities in their public schools. Further, minority students do not often see role models in computer science and technology who look like them.
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CW33.com
Mavericks coach to donate to North Texas youth programs for every home win - March 2, 2022
DALLAS (KDAF) — For the remainder of the season if the Dallas Mavericks win a home game, coach Jason Kidd will make a donation of $5,000 to support youth education and after-school programs for underserved communities across North Texas.
Dallas Morning News
Credera, 6-Time Winner — No. 16 Midsize Company - November 17, 2021
Consulting firm focused on strategy, transformation, data and technology is based in Addison. Credera says it was founded on the principle that the company should “grow to give.” One of its biggest initiatives in Dallas was a partnership with Bold Idea where 40 Crederians spent over 400 hours mentoring 30 kids in computer science and technology skills.
BigThought.org
Technology and Creativity Go Hand-in-hand for Learning Pathways Fellows - November 5, 2021
“We live in a technology-driven world,” says Ben Davis, the co-founder and Education Director at Bold Idea, “ and we believe that all students deserve the opportunity to be educated about how that technology works.”
Bold Idea is an organization that focuses on teaching students’ technology skills and mentoring young coders in the Dallas Area, equipping them with technical skills that will prepare them for the workforce. Founded in 2015, Bold Idea is dedicated to ensuring all students can gain these skills regardless of their background or demographics. “Right now, the opportunities for students to learn these skills are fairly limited, especially for lower-income students,” says Davis.
The North Texan
Reshaping the Future of Computer Engineering, One Bold Idea at a Time - November 1, 2021
Alum recognized for her nonprofit that mentors young coders. A bold idea came upon Robyn Brown ('05) while in a developer group meeting.
OMG - Greenfield Engineering Blog
OMGineer Highlight: Phil Hatton’s Software Engineer Journey + Giving Back to Young Coders - October 15, 2021
With a large part of our day-to-day spent working with some form of software or computer program, computer science jobs and degrees are in higher demand than ever before. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were approximately 1.4 million software engineering jobs in 2019, and it’s expected to increase 22% by the end of 2029. That’s crazy! The engineering Team at OMG (aka the OMGineering Team), definitely understands this – software is what we do.
However, despite the large demand for software engineers, access to computer science courses and materials in grade school (K-12) is not as commonplace as one might think. We spoke with Phil Hatton (OMG‚ #56) about his early experience with software engineering, and how he got involved with the mentorship program, Bold Idea.
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Dallas Business Journal
Tech Titans unveils its 2021 award finalists - September 22, 2021
Tech Titans is looking to highlight the companies it considers among the "elite" of North Texas technology. After putting out a call for nominations in June, the local tech trade organization – one of the largest in Texas with more than 300 member companies representing about 250,000 employees – has unveiled its lineup of finalists for its annual Tech Titans Awards.
MySweetCharity
North Texas Giving Day Booster: Bold Idea - September 10, 2021
According Bold Idea Founder Robyn Brown,
“Technology runs the world! More than ever, it is imperative that our students learn how the world around us works. As important, students must learn how to create and interact with the technologies we depend upon daily – especially computer code, the building block for all technology.
DMagazine.com
The Dallas Chapter of The Links Announces 2021 Women Who STEAM Award Honorees - August 6, 2021
The Dallas Chapter of The Links will honor eight diverse female STEAM leaders committed to creating a pipeline to STEAM education and careers, especially for young women of color. The third annual 2021 Virtual Women Who STEAM Awards Luncheon will recognize women in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics who contribute to their field while serving, teaching, excelling, aspiring, and mentoring in their communities.
The 2021 Women Who STEAM Honorees are:
Robyn Brown—Bold Idea, Founding CEO
Dallas Innovates
Dallas Innovates 2021 Thought Leaders: Alkami - Feb. 8, 2021
Alkami, which builds digital online and mobile banking solutions for credit unions and banks, has more than 10M contracted users on its platform. Here's how resilience has helped Alkamists and the company thrive during these remarkable and unprecedented times.
Comparably
Alkami’s Culture Compounds Pave Way to Continued Success - July 15, 2020
Something very special our Alkamists do to continue to serve our communities is important to highlight as well: many of our Alkamists volunteers for an organization known as Bold Idea.
Dallas Morning News
Summer programs pay dividends for Dallas kids during the school year, group says - Dec. 2, 2019
For the past six years, the Dallas City of Learning collaborative has fought summer learning loss for the city’s school-aged children, particularly those in historically underserved communities.
DALLAS INNOVATES
Training the Workforce: Accessible Education Keeps Dallas on the Cutting Edge of Innovation - Jan. 15, 2019
Bold Idea is a Dallas-based non-profit organization that aims to teach students critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration skills with a focus in coding concepts and computational thinking.
Bold idea teaches diverse student bodies in team-based environments in Dallas and Collin Counties. Its students range from grades 3 to 12 and each meet weekly with mentors to focus on hands-on projects and coding skills.
Dallas Business Journal
Non-profit startup has bold plans to grow its education programs - May 23, 2018
After working in public relations and marketing communications roles in the software industry for a decade, Robyn Brown leveraged her passion for technology and created a non-profit startup Bold Idea.
Dallas Innovates
26 To Be Honored In Women In Technology Awards - May 1, 2018
The Dallas Business Journal will honor 26 women May 22 in its fifth annual Women in Technology Awards. The awards honor women who are making a difference in their workplaces through technology.
The publication said that three women — Robyn Brown of Bold Idea, Juliet Odima of S.T.E.A.M Achievers, and Janell Straach of the University of Texas at Dallas will receive the distinction of “Advocate.”
Dallas Business Journal
2018 Women in Technology Awards honorees announced - April 5, 2018
For the 5th annual Women in Technology Awards, the Dallas Business Journal will honor 26 leaders that are making a difference through technology at their workplaces.
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Dallas Innovates
Defying the Odds: Cause Studio Gives Nonprofit Professionals, Organizations Tools to Succeed - March 19, 2018
When Robyn Brown first started organizing computer science workshops in the Dallas area, she wasn’t thinking the passion project would turn into a nonprofit.
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STORYTELLERS WITHOUT BORDERS
We must improve accessibility to STEM for all - January 12, 2018
We may live in the 21st century, but historical societal barriers have continued to divide our growing workforce. Girls and boys of color are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields because they have not been historically accessible and welcoming to them.
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In & Around Magazine
Connecting Students with Technology Mentors - January 2018
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Addison Magazine
Demo Day at Addison TreeHouse - December 20, 2017
This past Saturday, December 16, 2017, Addison TreeHouse hosted Demo Day Fall 2017. For this season’s Demo Day, middle school students were asked to showcase their work at building 3D games and develop their skills in Javascript, a popular computer programming language.
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Wylie News
Nonprofit connects students with technology mentors - December 13, 2017
Beginning from a desire to help others, Wylie native Robyn Brown founded the nonprofit Bold Idea three years ago to mentor students in computer coding, preparing them for an increasing technological workforce as well as nurturing their creativity and life skills.
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3BL Media
In Your Community: North Texas Girl Scouts Coding for Social Good - June 24, 2015
Can we teach girls to use technology for social good? In a coding camp for 6th-8th grade Girl Scouts in North Texas, we did just that. Just a few days ago, the AT&T Women of Technology (AWT), teaming up with a local non-profit called Bold Idea, put on a three-day event to introduce girls to coding in HTML and CSS, as well as explore career possibilities in STEM. The event helped them think about how technology can solve real-world problems while helping others.
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