Personal Biography:

Micheline Wilcoxen was born in Los Angeles during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Her parents were a bi-racial couple that had migrated to Los Angeles. Her mother came to Los Angeles from Canada and her father grew up in Canton, Ohio. She is the eldest of fraternal twins -- the other twin being a brother. The twins and their younger brother lived in the Los Angeles area during their early years.

When she was five years old, Micheline's family moved to San Bernardino, California. She and her brothers grew up in a primarily rural area just outside of the city. As young girl, she was always concerned about community and people less fortunate than her. Even as a young girl, she helped students with physical disabilities in her elementary school. As she moved on to middle and high school, Micheline become concerned over the injustices faced people of color. She began to read about and study the accomplishments of African-Americans in the United States.

Though frustrated with the educational system, she worked hard to earn her high school credits. Her efforts included volunteering at a local elementary school, going to community college, and attending school during the day. She graduated from high school at the age of 16, with a number of awards.

At eighteen, Micheline married. In addition, at this time her husband enlisted in the United States Navy. At nineteen, she gave birth to their first child, a daughter, and by the age of 20 a son was born -- Gabriel. Four months after his birth, Gabriel died due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This life-changing event lead to Micheline to become involved in a SIDS parent support group, where she worked with other parents who had lost children to SIDS. As the wife of a serviceman, she lived in other areas of the country over the next few years. Even as she relocated and with a growing family, Micheline continued volunteering for a variety non-profit organizations that worked within the communities were she resided, including Navy Relief, Girls Scouts, and Little League. During this time, she had also given birth to three more daughters.

Shortly after the birth of their youngest daughter, she and her husband were separated. At that time, Micheline enrolled Grossmont Community College in San Diego, California; She graduated with honors with an Associate of Science Degree in Computer Science Information Systems, focusing on Programming. While attending Grossmont she worked in the student computer lab, was a member of Honor Society, the Black Student Union, and she was member of Grossmont's Speech and Debate Team.

From San Diego, Micheline and her daughters moved to Ontario, California where she continued her course work at Mount San Antonio College. While at Mt SAC, she became a member of their Speech and Debate Team and earned a Silver Medal for Competing at the state level, and a bronze medal for competition at the on the national level. During her year of studies at Mt. SAC, she worked in a computer lab that serviced the needs of students with disabilities.

Once her course was completed at the community college level she then enrolled in Cal Poly Pomona continuing to major in Computer Information Systems. Where there, she was actively involved in the African-American Student Center and the Management Information Systems Student Association. While attending Cal Poly Pomona, Micheline was offered a position at Break Away Technologies. This led her to move to Los Angeles, where is she purchased a home has since become an active Angeleno.

Over the last few years, she has been very active in Los Angeles, volunteering her services to a variety of community groups, churches and political campaigns. This has included providing computer support services to Jefferson Park Improvement Project, Inc and Trinity Baptist Church. She has advised and provided IT support for Nate Holden's 10th Council District and 32nd Congressional District campaigns.

Currently, Micheline is a volunteer computer instructor for FSS-Project T.E.C.H., a community technology program and the Tom Bradley Youth and Community Center. She is a founding member of the Community Technology Organizing Consortium (CTOC) and currently serves as Chairperson of CTOC's Planning Committee.

Micheline played an instrumental in the establishment of the Computers In Our Future Project and the Business and Community Resource Center at Break Away Technologies, serving as the Program Manager. In addition, while employed at Break Away Technologies, she coordinated the Technology Village at the African Market Place for two years. She has also served as a consultant for American Connects Consortium.

In Feb 2000, Micheline earned her vocational education teaching credential and taught for 1-½ years at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. At Dorsey, Micheline was responsible for setting up the school library's computer lab and worked with the LA COPS after-school program. While at Dorsey, Micheline also became a certified Cisco Networking instructor and taught several high school technology classes. In Sept. 2000, Micheline she began teaching at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Where she continues to teach college level course in the evening for Trade Tech and at various community locations.

Presently, Micheline works for Community Development Technologies in Los Angeles, where she is the Director of Technology. Her current projects at CD include setting up an IT Training Collaborative in the South Los Angeles Area, with other Community Groups. She has developed a Technology Plan for the CDTech and a technology plan for CDTech's much-anticipated Techlink a future Community Technology Center. Ms. Wilcoxen also assisted CDTech with a research project on IT entry-level positions in the entertainment industry. She has worked diligently to get classes from the Community Planning Economic Department and the Mortgage Finance Department at Los Angeles Trade available on the Internet. She also is actively involved with State and Local policy issues surrounding community technology.

Goals:

• Gain a better understanding of policy
• Learn how to be a better, stronger advocate
• Develop overall better leadership skills
• Work with other in the field of community technology