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About Us

WHO We Are: SMRCDC

History

Economics

Renewal 

Legacy

For more than 20 years the South Memphis Renewal Community Development Corporation (SMRCDC) has been working tirelessly in the Soulsville USA Community in Memphis, home to America’s Soul Music roots, and home of such Legendary Artists as Aretha Franklin, Maurice White Founder of Earth, Wind and Fire, Elvis Presley, B. B King, Three 6 Mafia, Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Alberta Hunter, Al Green, and Yo Gotti, just to name a few.  

Out of this strong musical heritage is also a history steeped in Civil Rights, Educational Excellence and Active Community Engagement. It’s also home to the Church of God In Christ (COGIC), Bar-B-Que Legends, and resilient people who have made great strides over the past 50 years in civic and community growth.

In 1989, LeMoyne-Owen College Community Development Corporation was founded and ten years later our founder Jeffrey T. Higgs was its first Executive Director. In 2002 he saw a need to expand that community development growth, and started SMRCDC. Since that time, this economic group has been at the forefront of Urban Community Economic Development (UCED), leading efforts with a talented staff, committed partners, and active community engagement protocols to create positive economic and social change in the Memphis Mid-South Region.

Workforce Development has always been an important part of community development. Mr. Higgs notably says “Show me a working resident and thriving community I’ll show you a community that is empowered and progressive…”.

 

SMRCDC has trained over 600 residents, and student/participants statewide in active workforce development opportunities. In 2015 SMRCDC led a statewide effort with TDOT Civil Rights Office to get underrepresented persons into the Highway Construction Industry, with a success rate of 75% placement and 90% graduation rates. They know how to get folks trained and placed.

In 2019 YouthBuild America chose SMRCDC to train over 61 “Opportunity Youth” in Construction Job Training. Using nationally recognized credentials from HBI (Home Builders Institute) a national industry certification course, with a 90% graduate rate and a 85% placement rate for these Opportunity Youth.

In 2023, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). selected SMRCDC to provide workforce development training, upskill state-of- the-art training, and wraparound services to people in underserved communities by providing free cybersecurity entry level certifications. The 38126 Technology HUB strives to erase historical inequities in the cybersecurity cluster of industries. This opportunity is made possible by CISA providing a cooperative agreement to SMRCDC.

 Using the NICE Framework, SMRCDC will give people along the Lower Mississippi Delta’s eight (8) state region an opportunity to get these certifications that will lead to well-paying jobs inside the cybersecurity industry.

 

The NICE Framework is comprised of the following components: 

  • Categories (7) – A high-level grouping of common cybersecurity functions
  • Specialty Areas (33) – Distinct areas of cybersecurity work
  • Work Roles (52) – The most detailed groupings of cybersecurity work comprised of specific knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to perform tasks in a Work Role

Students in our program divide their time between virtual, classroom, field (work sites), and leadership development. 38126 Technology HUB is a daily commitment, Monday-Friday, 8am to 1pm. Participants will be recruited from eight (8) states along the Mississippi Delta Region, to our main campus in Soulsville USA and virtual learning platforms. “SMRCDC is poised to train more than 200 persons with credentials that are transferable and begin to change lives and communities with this most important Initiative from CISA” quoted Jeffrey T. Higgs, Executive Director.

This is an exciting, innovative, Technology-driven project that will allow more underserved citizens and communities access to the Cybersecurity Industry.

We will seek out and train up to 200 people for jobs in this demanding industry. The demand for Cybersecurity will be significant in the next decade and beyond. Cybersecurity Ventures forecasts that approximately 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs will be available by 2025.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs to be some of the most well-paid. Information security analysts, for example, could earn over $100,000 a year. 38126 Technology HUB cannot underestimate the value of diversity and inclusion in the workforce, especially in the cybersecurity platform.

Diversity and inclusion are not just feel-good initiatives. They are essential for protecting a nation's critical infrastructure. A more diverse and inclusive workforce will help an organization better identify risks and vulnerabilities, learn from past mistakes, and develop more effective security protocols.

And yet, minorities are grossly underrepresented in the industry. According to the Aspen Digital Tech Policy report, only 9% of cybersecurity experts are Black. About 8% are Asian and 4% are Hispanic.

38126 Technology HUB sees three major complicated factors:
  1. Access To Education And Training;
  2. Lack Of Mentorship And Role Models;
  3. Systemic Racism*

38126 Technology HUB seeks to help close the The Gap In Cybersecurity Skills.

We encourage a diverse workforce. By training underserved residents and citizens in the Delta Region -up and down the Mississippi river- as our selected area for training. And to provide the needed skills that will allow these underserved communities and people expanded access to the Cybersecurity Industry. Our state-of-the-art training is second to none, and will bring pride to the need for technical training and a diverse workforce.

1) Acknowledgment. This webpage is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Cooperative Agreement Award No. 23ISCWT00004-01-00.

2) Disclaimer. The views and conclusions contained in this webpage are those of the South Memphis Renewal Community Development Corporation and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The use of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency logo on this webpage does not constitute an endorsement of Licensee by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or U.S. Department of Homeland Security.