Lynn Wilson grew up in Far NE Denver, where he developed grit and community pride. A high achiever at Montbello High School, he earned a full scholarship to study engineering at the University of Oklahoma. There, he founded MOTION, a student group training Upward Bound students in personal and technical skills. After a successful career in telecommunications and entrepreneurship, Lynn earned a Master’s in International Business Administration. Returning to Denver after the 2008 recession, he became a higher education administrator and professor. In 2017, he launched SparqU to address digital literacy inequities through workforce training and now serves as its Chief Innovation Officer.

Jamal Bowen, also from Montbello, discovered leadership and networking early. A Denver East High School graduate, he earned a Bachelor’s in Ethnic Studies from Colorado State University and a Master’s in Organizational Management. In 2016, he founded Empowering Community Entrepreneurs (ECE) to mentor young adults in leadership and business. His impact extended internationally through youth development work in Liberia. Rising quickly in higher education as an instructor and administrator, Dr. Jamal earned the 2020 Post-Secondary Educator of the Year award and now serves as Chief Development Officer of SparqU.

Together, Prof. Lynn and Dr. Jamal lead SparqU in delivering workforce certification training and youth empowerment programs in STEAM fields. SparqU collaborates with educators, professionals, and community leaders to address social and economic barriers. Since its founding, SparqU has hosted 50 interns, partnered with BIPOC-owned businesses (80% women-owned), and empowered individuals to “show up, skill up, start up, and scale up.” SparqU champions opportunities for marginalized communities to thrive in a digital world.