5 Questions with Steve Ewell, Executive Director, Consumer Technology Association Foundation

The CTA Foundation is celebrating its 13th anniversary—and I’ve had the privilege of witnessing its impact firsthand, both as a former board trustee and as a colleague of our executive director, Steve Ewell. Steve is a thoughtful, mission-driven leader who has helped shape the Foundation into a powerful force for good—supporting technologies that enhance the lives of older adults and people with disabilities.

In this conversation, Steve shares what makes the CTA Foundation unique, how it’s meeting the moment amid shifting economic realities, and how it continues to show up in big ways at CES—from spotlighting accessibility innovations to hosting one of the most energizing pitch competitions in Eureka Park. Whether you’re in philanthropy, policy, or tech, there’s something here for anyone who believes in the power of innovation to create a more inclusive world.

And don’t miss the best career advice he’s ever received—it’s simple, smart, and universally useful.

Can you share the inspiration behind the founding of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation and its founding mission to bridge technology with the needs of older adults and people with disabilities?

The CTA Foundation was born from our industry's desire to give back in a meaningful way. When we launched in 2012, our founding board sought to identify areas where technology could make a transformative difference, yet weren't receiving the attention they deserved. 

We focused on two growing but often overlooked populations: older adults and people with disabilities. Our Founding Chair, John Shalam, brought personal insight to this mission—he had witnessed firsthand how social isolation affected his mother and mother-in-law as they aged. His advocacy helped shape our commitment to addressing these challenges. At the same time, we recognized the number of people with disabilities and the opportunities for technology to play a significant role in their lives. 

We recognized that while older adults and people with disabilities are distinct communities, there's significant overlap in how technology can serve their needs. Both groups face barriers that innovative technology solutions can help overcome. 

Since awarding our first grant on stage in New York City on June 27, 2012, we've deployed over $7.8 million to organizations across the United States. This investment has made a direct, tangible impact on the lives of older adults and people with disabilities—helping them thrive at work, at home, and at play.

Based on its founding mission, can you highlight some of the Foundation’s grantees and the specific problems they are solving in areas like digital health, daily living, or social connection?

Over the years, we've had the privilege of supporting remarkable organizations tackling real-world challenges. You can explore our complete grant portfolio, but let me share a few standout examples: 

• Bridging the Digital Divide: Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP exemplifies our impact in digital inclusion. When we first partnered with them, they were launching their inaugural Senior Planet Center in New York City—a space where anyone 60+ could learn technology, get device support, and build community connections. Beyond basic digital literacy, they offered classes in arts, fitness, and entrepreneurship. Our support helped them expand to Upstate New York, Denver, and Northern California, and eventually developing a licensing program to share their curriculum nationwide. Their success led to AARP bringing them under their umbrella as an affiliated organization. 
• Creating Independent Living Solutions: We're currently supporting an exciting initiative across three organizations— Easterseals Arkansas , MOKA, and St. John's Community Services —each building smart homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By giving them flexibility to choose their own technologies and approaches, we're learning what works in different communities and contexts. This builds on our earlier support of Meritan, Inc. , which pioneered similar efforts years ago. 
• Expanding Healthcare Access: Mary's Center addresses a critical healthcare gap in DC's underserved communities. Many residents—including older adults, low-income families, and those experiencing homelessness—often delay care until emergencies arise. Our grant supports their facilitated telemedicine program, enabling technicians to bring healthcare technology directly into communities, connecting patients with providers before issues escalate. 
• Innovation on Wheels: Sometimes grants exceed all expectations. Oak Hill (Legal name: CT Institute for the Blind) initially requested support for a trailer to transport assistive technology across Connecticut. Instead, they created something extraordinary: the Smart Home on Wheels (SHOW). This mobile showcase, equipped with smart home products and assistive technologies, brings the solutions across the state and beyond. Visitors can experience technologies hands-on while consulting with specialists to find solutions tailored to their needs.  Each of these initiatives demonstrates how strategic funding can amplify innovative approaches to accessibility and inclusion.

In view of current budget pressures and economic uncertainty for nonprofits, how has the Foundation’s grant-making approach evolved to ensure continued high-impact support for its partners?

These are undeniably challenging times for the nonprofit sector. While the CTA Foundation is fortunate not to rely on government funding, many of our partner organizations face significant uncertainty. Government funding streams have been reduced, frozen, or exist under a cloud of uncertainty that makes strategic planning nearly impossible. Simultaneously, economic volatility and tariff concerns are causing corporate partners to adopt more cautious investment strategies as they navigate rising costs and market unpredictability. 

The philanthropic community is actively grappling with how best to respond. Some major foundations, like the Gates Foundation , have accelerated their spending timelines to deploy more capital when it's needed most. However, this approach has limitations—once funds are depleted, they're gone. There's also the difficult reality that redirecting funds to fill emerging gaps means reducing support for other vital programs. It's a complex challenge without easy solutions. 

At the CTA Foundation, we've adapted our approach since the pandemic began. We've expanded from supporting approximately twelve organizations annually to around twenty-four. This broader reach allows us to address needs in more communities, though it means smaller individual grants. As we update our strategic plan, we're carefully weighing our options: Should we return to making larger, more concentrated investments? Continue spreading resources across more organizations? Or develop a hybrid approach? 

What remains constant is our commitment to maximizing impact. We're exploring innovative funding models, encouraging collaboration among grantees to share resources and best practices, and focusing on sustainable solutions that can weather economic uncertainty. By staying flexible and responsive, we aim to continue delivering meaningful support even in these turbulent times.

At CES, the CTA Foundation has a strong presence in including its annual Pitch Competition, as well as curating conversations around accessibility and the needs of seniors.  Can you share how the Foundation shows up at CES, the goals behind these activations and where interested startups and attendees can learn more or get involved?

CES is the highlight of my calendar! It's where we bring accessibility and aging issues to the forefront of the entire technology industry. While I attend specialized disability and aging conferences throughout the year, those events largely reach already-engaged audiences. CES offers something unique: the opportunity to connect with both advocates and those who haven't yet considered how technology can transform lives for older adults and people with disabilities. 

Our CES presence encompasses numerous initiatives, from high-profile competitions to strategic behind-the-scenes engagements. Full details are available at www.CTAFoundation.tech, and sponsorship opportunities can be found in our prospectus.

Key Programs Include: 

• Accessibility Roundtable: This roundtable is co-hosted with CTA’s Government Affairs and Technology and Standards Teams. What began as an intimate gathering has grown to over 125 attendees, bringing together industry leaders and disability advocates to discuss critical accessibility topics. We're continually evolving the format to ensure every voice is heard as we scale.
• Accessibility & AgeTech Reception: Following the roundtable, this networking event welcomes all CES attendees to connect with the accessibility and agetech community. - Accessibility Leaders Program - We partner with CTA's Government Affairs team to host leaders from prominent disability organizations, who spend the week exploring CES and identifying technologies that could benefit their communities. - CTA Foundation Pitch Competition presented by Next50 - Our signature event features startups from Eureka Park pitching to expert investors and a standing-room-only crowd. Winners are selected by both judges and audience vote.
• Eureka Park Accessibility Contest: Each summer, we invite US and Canadian startups to demonstrate how their products serve older adults or people with disabilities. Five winners receive free CES booths, $2,500, and invaluable exposure. Past participants regularly share stories of media coverage, closed funding rounds, and accelerated growth following CES.
• Funder Tour: This program started because I was at a conference with other foundations and someone mentioned that while they found technology interesting, it was just gadgets and they weren’t sure how it made an impact in the communities they funded. Needless to say, I took that as a challenge and immediately opened up an invite to other foundations working with older adults and people with disabilities to attend CES. We bring these foundations together, provide a customized tour of the show floor, and then engage them in a discussion around the types of technologies they found and where those technologies might be beneficial to the programs they fund.
• Innovation Challenge: A new program at CES 2025 that we are excite to bring back for CES 2026. This program combines parts of our Accessibility Roundtable and our Pitch Competition, but focuses in on the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) community. Last year, that to support from the WITH Foundation and the MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC AMERICA FOUNDATION , we held focus groups discussing health technologies with members of the IDD community and their caregivers at locations in Chicago, Denver and Las Vegas. We then shared anonymized results of those focus groups with companies and had them enter to showcase how they could adapt their products to address the challenges raised by the community. Four companies were selected and invited to CES 2025. Those companies spent a morning meeting with members of the IDD community and their caregivers to get further feedback before having the opportunity to pitch their products. This year we will be building on those first year results by conducting a wider survey of the community.
• John and Jane Shalam Award: Named for our Founding Chair and his wife, this annual award recognizes excellence in using technology to address social isolation among older adults.
• Content: Beyond our programs, we support CTA's Accessibility Track panels, CTA Center Stage programming, and strategically place accessibility-focused speakers on other panels to expand awareness beyond our traditional audiences.  For startups and attendees interested in participating, visit www.CTAFoundation.tech or contact us directly to explore how you can join our mission at CES 2026.

Looking ahead, with your new dual role adding leadership of CTA’s Accessibility & AgeTech Working Group, how do you see the Foundation’s work evolving — what emerging technologies, partnerships, or priority initiatives are you most excited to pursue next?

I'm thrilled to expand my impact through this dual role. While continuing to lead the Foundation's mission of getting technology into the hands of those who need it most, I'll now also guide CTA's new Accessibility & AgeTech Working Group on the association side. This creates a powerful synergy: the Foundation supports nonprofits delivering solutions to communities, while the Working Group helps industry develop more inclusive technologies from the start. Together, we're building a complete ecosystem for innovation and impact. 

The urgency of our work has never been clearer. Both aging and disability populations are growing rapidly—not just in the US, but globally. Simultaneously, we face a critical caregiver shortage, exacerbated by immigration challenges that affect our caregiving workforce. While technology cannot replace human caregivers, it can meaningfully address this crisis by reducing caregiver burden, preventing burnout, and enabling both professional and family caregivers to provide better support. 

Technology also tackles one of our most pressing health challenges: social isolation. Research shows that chronic loneliness has health impacts comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes daily. Our technologies can forge vital connections for people who might otherwise remain isolated, literally saving lives through digital bridges. 

Looking forward, I'm energized by several emerging opportunities: 

• AI Revolution: The rapid advancement in AI presents both tremendous possibilities and important challenges for our communities. We must ensure these powerful tools enhance accessibility rather than create new barriers. 
• Smart Home Evolution: Connected home technologies are becoming more sophisticated and affordable, offering unprecedented independence for older adults and people with disabilities. 
• Health Tech & Wearables: These innovations are moving beyond fitness tracking to become genuine health management tools that can predict, prevent, and manage chronic conditions. 

What excites me most is that accessibility and aging considerations touch every corner of our industry. From autonomous vehicles that could restore mobility to millions, to next-generation displays that adapt to visual needs—every technological advance represents an opportunity to enhance lives while opening significant new markets. 

The companies that embrace inclusive design aren't just doing good—they're positioning themselves for sustainable growth in rapidly expanding markets. That's the future we're building together through both the Foundation and the new Working Group: where accessibility drives innovation, and technology truly serves everyone.

Quick Hits

ChatGPT/Generative AI: Do you use it?  Why, or why not? Absolutely—I use multiple AI models regularly. They've become invaluable partners for brainstorming, content creation, and data analysis. What excites me most is how these tools are expanding capabilities that once required specialized skills or resources. For someone working at the intersection of technology and accessibility, I view AI as a powerful force multiplier across all our work. The rapid improvements we're seeing suggest we're just scratching the surface of what's possible.

Corporate leader you admire most?  I have been fortunate to work with many incredible business leaders throughout my career and continue to do so. I’m going to harken back to an executive that I had the opportunity to work with prior to my CTA days. Earl Stafford, Sr.—founder and CEO of Unitech and the Stafford Foundation. I worked with him early in my career at Business Executives for National Security (BENS). While I was meeting many successful executives, Earl stood out for how deeply he integrated giving back into his business philosophy. He probably didn't realize he was mentoring a twenty-something, but I seized every opportunity to learn from him. He showed me that true leadership means building success that lifts entire communities—a principle that guides my work today.

Best career advice? "Make the ask"—advice from an early boss who hated when people scheduled meetings about funding but left without actually asking for it. Everyone knew why they were there, yet they'd dance around the real purpose. He taught me that clarity respects everyone's time. Whether you're seeking funding, proposing an idea, or requesting support. The worst outcome is "no," which isn't catastrophic. But failing to ask guarantees you get nothing. This principle has shaped every successful initiative I've led.

Most impactful book? Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin—though choosing from my overflowing bookcase of fiction and nonfiction feels impossible. In our increasingly polarized world, Lincoln's genius for uniting fierce opponents toward a common purpose resonates deeply. He transformed rivals into allies by recognizing that diverse perspectives strengthen decisions, not weaken them. This principle guides how I build coalitions at the Foundation—bringing together tech companies, disability advocates, and aging experts who might normally never intersect. Great outcomes emerge when we harness creative tension rather than avoid it.

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