AIM Institute, an Omaha-based nonprofit dedicated to building and connecting the region’s tech talent community, announced a five-year plan under its new President and CEO Dala Alphonso. During a meet and greet event attended by local business leaders, educators and tech professionals, Alphonso detailed his vision to double AIM’s impact, reach and resources by the end of the decade.

“This is a critical point in our journey,” Alphonso said, addressing attendees at Luli Creative House. “Technology has evolved. It’s changed and times have changed, and in order for AIM to remain relevant we also have to change.”

Since its founding more than 30 years ago, AIM Institute has focused on providing pathways to tech careers through programs like Code School, Youth in Tech and annual conferences. The organization aims to create a diverse and equitable tech workforce, removing barriers to entry through scholarships and financial aid.

Alphonso outlined “Vision 2030: Rebirth 2 Rebuild,” which sets ambitious goals for the next five years and beyond. Central to this strategy is doubling AIM’s impact, finances and footprint by 2030. The goal is to position AIM as the leader in technology talent development in the Silicon Prairie and the heartland of the United States.

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The five steps outlined are:

• 2025: Reconnect with vision, stakeholders and community
• 2026: Rebrand for renewed identity and appeal
• 2027: Re-emerge as a force in tech training and development
• 2028: Reach across the heartland and beyond
• 2029: Re-establish AIM as the leader in tech talent development

“We want to reconnect back to our communities. We want to reconnect back to our partners. We want to reconnect to [AIM’s] mission with who we are,” Alphonso said. “The problem is that we’ve been so focused on so many things that we really need to narrow down and focus on what we’re awesome at.”

One notable announcement from the event was the plan to sunset the emerging and advanced leadership success academies by summer 2025. In their place, AIM will launch a new series of leadership programs in August 2025, designed to better serve the rapidly changing technology landscape in a post-pandemic world that includes tech leadership and soft skills. 

Alphonso emphasized the significance of partnerships, citing the importance of working with organizations like Omaha STEM Ecosystem and other community-focused groups to work together towards the shared goal of strengthening the tech pipeline.

AIM’s current focus for 2025, the first major milestone, includes:

• Build strong partnerships with businesses, educators and policymakers
• Reinvigorate donor relationships through transparent communication
• Audit current processes for improvement opportunities
• Invest in staff development and retention
• Enhance AIM’s branding through storytelling and marketing
• Leverage technology to expand outreach and training capabilities

“[AIM] has an incredibly bright future, and I’m hoping that by this time next year we all can look back and say, wow, we’ve come a long way,” said Alphonso.