West40 Director Honored for Leadership in Digital Equity

Congratulations are in order for West40 Director of Community Relations Maria-Elena Agrela, who is the recipient of Cook County's 2026 Community Connector Award in recognition of her dedication and leadership towards digital equity in the county.

Agrela received the award at Cook County's annual digital equity learning symposium, Access Amplified, on Wednesday at the Malcolm X College Conference Center.

Access to technology and other digital tools is essential in today's world to stay connected to jobs, education, health care, news, and so much more. But not every community is connected on the same level as others.

Agrela sits on Cook County's digital equity action committee and is chair for the western area. Also, part of her role at West40 is to support digital equity in communities served by the intermediate service center.

"A lot of things are only online now. If we don't focus on digital equity, the socioeconomic divide is going to grow even bigger in some of the communities that we serve," Agrela said.

Agrela said it is an honor to be recognized for her work to help advance digital equity across west suburban Cook County.

Among her digital equity leadership efforts, Agrela has coordinated a computer distribution in Franklin Park, hosted a community conversation on behalf of Cook County Digital Equity for its strategic plan, and collaborated with digital community partners to host an event for community members to explore occupations with virtual reality.