David E. Glover Emerging Technology Center
A space for community innovation
Our communities have been a place of creativity, ingenuity, and exciting ideas. The DEG Center is where that energy has a home. East Oakland deserves access to the tools of technology, business, and innovation. With those, built in community, we can shape our own futures.
Who We Are
Located at 6948 Foothill Blvd in East Oakland, the DEG Center is a design, technology, and makerspace owned and operated by OCCUR. It’s open to youth, adults, seniors, small business owners, nonprofits, and faith communities across the Bay Area.
From free technology training and AI bootcamps to small business workshops and community gatherings, the DEG Center is where East Oakland comes to learn, build, and connect.
This is not just a facility. It is a hub—a place where people show up for each other, share knowledge across generations, and create something together that none of us could build alone.
How the DEG Center Came to Be…
The DEG Center's story begins with a conviction: that the digital economy was either going to deepen inequality in East Oakland, or close it. And that it would take action to close it.
That action was ignited by David E. Glover, OCCUR's Executive Director from 1988 to 2013. David Glover saw the digital divide opening in real time and rallied efforts to address it. In 1997, OCCUR opened the Eastmont Computing Center at Eastmont Mall, the first public technology center in East Oakland, giving low-income residents access to computers and digital skills at a moment when most institutions weren't paying attention.
After David Glover's passing in 2013, OCCUR renamed the center in his honor—a permanent recognition of his vision and his life's work.
The David E. Glover Emerging Technology Center carries that legacy forward today, offering free and low-cost technology training for youth, adults, and seniors from basic to advanced skill levels, alongside OCCUR's AI bootcamps, small business programs, and community gatherings. The tools have changed. The conviction hasn't. We are still here, still building, still making sure East Oakland is in the room where the future gets made.
Rent the DEG Center for your next event!
We have over 4,000 sq. ft. of space available to meet a range of needs. Click for more info.