July 22, 2024 (Cape Cod, MA) – When Daniel Wolf of Harwich, was asked to give the keynote speech at the Cape Cod Technology Council’s Annual Meeting at Alberto’s Ristorante in Hyannis, last month, little did he know that he would be celebrated for the profound impact he has made in our community.
The Tech Council surprised the Cape Air founder and former State Senator by presenting him with the Bert Jackson Award. Wolf is the second recipient of the award which is named after a central figure in the Tech Council’s history, Bert Jackson, who joined the nonprofit’s board in 2009 and was its president for nearly eight years. Jackson was named the Council’s first-ever CEO in 2018, serving in that capacity until the beginning of 2023 when he moved to Hawaii with his husband Wil Rhymer.
Last year, Richard Delaney, the executive director for the Center for Coastal Studies, was the first-ever recipient of the Bert Jackson Award.
“Dan cares deeply about his family, about the Cape, and obviously about the people who live here. Most importantly, he puts his care into action,” Tech Council Executive Director Steve Smith said in presenting the award to Wolf. “Every day he is trying to make a difference in business, in our environment, and in our world.”
Smith listed the qualities the award seeks to recognize as epitomized by Bert Jackson, from “working towards solutions to environmental problems” to making “contributions of significant volunteer time and effort and demonstrating an exceptional level of inclusiveness and generosity of spirit. I don’t think anybody is going to be surprised that the qualities we seek to recognize are completely and perfectly embodied by Dan.”
Wolf expressed his gratitude in accepting the award.
In his keynote speech, he highlighted the critical role that all of us play in how we utilize technology in society. “Technology is what I would call amoral – it is not good. It is not bad. It is a tool,” he said. “You can use it for good. You can use it for bad and you have to do it with intent. You have to understand that there are a lot of repercussions and unintended consequences when you institute technologies that may or may not be desirable, whether in a corporate setting or in a political setting.”
Along with recognizing Wolf, the Technology Council presented designer Judith Holt of Sandwich, owner of Judith Holt Design, with the Sustainability Award, and Onset Computer Corporation of Bourne, with the Technology Award.
“This is an absolute honor to receive this, and you’ve made my day. You really have,” said Holt, whose work has included assisting Heritage Museums & Gardens in reducing its carbon emissions through the development and execution of a sustainability strategic plan. “Mostly what I do is partner with Cape Light Compact in conducting no-cost energy assessments in working with nonprofit organizations to reduce their energy usage and certainly cut their emissions. We have to do all that we can and every day that I wake up, that is what I strive to do.”
Paul Gannett, principal product manager at Onset, accepted the company’s Technology Award in recognition of its new HOBO MX800 Series Bluetooth Data Loggers. The device, which attendees could view for themselves at the Annual Meeting, can be used in coastal research, water quality monitoring, hydrology, and wetland mitigation. Onset launched the data loggers in March of this year.
“These new data loggers measure salinity, water level, water temperature and dissolved oxygen, all in one user-friendly, customizable modular platform. These are critical water parameters needed in the waters of Cape Cod as well as in the waters all around the world,” said Gannett, who recognized the importance of working in a region like the Cape that makes innovations like this possible. “We couldn’t have developed these anywhere else. The culture here on Cape Cod centered around caring for our environment, especially our water resources, which greatly contributes to our ability to develop these projects.”