INTERalliance 2026 Annual Report

Two decades later, that idea has become something much bigger.

INTERalliance has grown into a regional talent-development ecosystem, providing employers an opportunity to engage with emerging talent years earlier than a traditional recruiting model allows. Companies aren't simply meeting students when they graduate from college and begin looking for jobs. They are helping those students discover technology careers, understand the workplace, develop relevant skills, build professional relationships, and see themselves as part of Greater Cincinnati's technology community.

That is the impact I am most proud of.

Our story has never simply been about teaching technology skills. It has been about creating access to opportunity.

It happens when a high school student walks into a professional environment for the first time and realizes, *I belong here.*

It happens when an employer takes a chance on a young person and discovers just how much that student can contribute.

It happens when students guide their peers through INTERalliance chapters, the INTERalliance Leadership Council, TechOlympics, Women in IT, and other experiences that challenge them to do more than learn — they are asked to lead.

And it happens when an internship becomes a college major, a first job, a career, and eventually a decision to stay in Greater Cincinnati and invest in the next generation.

That is why INTERalliance has always been more than a student organization. We are part of the region’s talent infrastructure. Our unique position between students and families, education, and industry gives us an extraordinary view of the technology workforce. We hear what students are interested in. We see what educators are experiencing in their classrooms. And we work directly with the employers who know where technology is headed next.

That position also gives us a responsibility.

Technology is changing faster today than at any point in our history. Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data, automation, cloud technologies, and fields we have not yet imagined will reshape the jobs our students pursue and the skills employers need. The pathways into those careers are changing just as quickly.

INTERalliance must change with them.

As we enter our third decade, our goal is not simply to make our existing programs bigger. It is to continue building a more connected and responsive talent ecosystem — one that inspires promising young people earlier, creates more meaningful career-connected experiences, expands access to students throughout our region, strengthens the bridge between education and industry, and provides employers with new ways to engage the next generation of technology talent.

We also have an opportunity to better understand and tell the story of what happens to students after they leave us. Over the next chapter of INTERalliance, we want to deepen our connection with our alumni, measure the long-term impact of these experiences, and create a cycle in which former INTERalliance students return as mentors, volunteers, employers, investors, and leaders.

In many ways, that is the ultimate measure of our success: students becoming the people who create opportunities for the students who come after them.

None of what you will see in these pages happened because of one organization. It happened because Greater Cincinnati chose to invest in its young people.

It happened because teachers opened doors. Employers created opportunities. Volunteers gave their time. Community partners believed in the mission. Families encouraged their students to take a chance. And, most importantly, generations of young people stepped forward and made INTERalliance their own.

As we celebrate twenty years, we should be incredibly proud of what this community has built.

But I believe our greatest impact is still ahead of us.

The technology will change. The skills will change. The jobs will change.

Our purpose will not.

We will continue bringing together students, educators, and industry to create opportunities, develop talent, and ensure that the next generation is prepared not simply to participate in the future of technology — but to lead it.

Thank you for being part of the first twenty years.

I cannot wait to see what we build together in the next twenty.