Chatham Literacy is thrilled to introduce Josh Bray as our new Program Coordinator for Digital Literacy. Josh is a lifelong Bear Creek resident and a Chatham Central High School graduate, deeply rooted in the rural heart of Chatham County. His journey to this role has been guided by a passion for helping others and a lifelong commitment to education.
“I always want to help people, and this seemed like a good way to help people,” Josh explains. “Most of my career has been education, teaching classes or tutoring. There’s never not been a time when I’ve not been in education.”
Josh’s work focuses on bridging the digital divide by organizing technology classes and ensuring underserved adults have access to essential digital tools. “We’re helping organize classes in the community to have technology training and getting technology to those that are underserved or have not really had those historical opportunities to afford the technology and use it,” he shares.
A Passion for Languages and Learning
Josh is not only committed to digital literacy but is also a language enthusiast. He speaks Spanish, English, and Italian, and is currently learning Portuguese — all self-taught without ever traveling abroad. “I just fell in love with wanting to learn more about languages and other cultures, and it just took off from there,” he says. His approach to language learning combines digital tools and traditional resources: “There are good digital tools to learn languages, but you also have to have supplemental materials.”
Hobbies and Surprising Facts
Outside of work, Josh enjoys caring for his pet shrimp and snail — an impulse decision that turned into a rewarding hobby. “I had a snail that my mom had brought home, and I didn’t want the snail to be alone, so I bought the shrimp. And I’m really enjoying keeping the shrimp,” he recounts. He’s also an avid designer of tabletop games, particularly role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and enjoys exploring the mechanics behind them.
Vision for Chatham County
Josh also hopes to see broader internet access in rural Chatham County: “I would really like to see more widespread internet access, because living in a rural place, you’re not always thought of being technologically on the level. There have been initiatives started to get high-speed internet in those areas, but they’re slow to roll out. For Chatham County as a whole, I do think we need to start focusing on being a bit more connected online, because that will bring opportunities for people to start their own online businesses as well. Technology is critical for our residents.”
Become a Digital Literacy Tutor — No Experience Needed!
Chatham Literacy is seeking bilingual (Spanish/English) volunteer tutors to help adults gain essential computer skills. You do NOT have to be a computer expert—we provide free training and materials. Our volunteers help with basics like setting up email, navigating the internet, saving files, and more. You’ll work with small groups of 3–8 adult learners who have completed a computer basics workshop and now have their own laptop.
Help our learners get connected—become a tutor today! Interested? Contact Josh Bray at 919-742-0578 or josh@chathamliteracy.org.