Who We Are
The Rhoades Institute of Technology is a Wisconsin 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on civic literacy, technology education, and community dialogue. We build technology tools, draft model legislation, run community events, and develop educational resources — all grounded in the belief that informed citizens are the foundation of functional democracy. RIT was incorporated on July 13, 2025, born from a simple realization: the systems meant to keep government accountable had been quietly hollowed out, and rebuilding them would take more than outrage — it would take infrastructure.
Founder Story
In April 2025, Johnathon Rhoades started asking questions about civic systems in conversations with AI — not as a technologist, but as a citizen trying to understand why so much felt broken. Those conversations became research. The research became a vision statement. The vision became articles of incorporation filed in Wisconsin. RIT is a solo-operated nonprofit, built in public with AI assistance, focused on producing real tools and real policy frameworks rather than waiting for permission or perfection.
The Codex
The Codex is RIT's founding document — a comprehensive framework that defines the organization's mission, operating principles, and ethical boundaries. It is not a mission statement or a manifesto. It is an operational blueprint: how decisions get made, what lines do not get crossed, and what RIT is accountable to regardless of who is running it.
12 Core Values
Curiosity
Every project starts with a question, not an answer. RIT prioritizes investigation over assumption and treats unknowns as starting points rather than obstacles.
Evidence
Claims require sources. Positions require data. RIT grounds its work in verifiable information and rejects arguments that rely on emotional appeal alone.
Community
Civic infrastructure is built by people who know each other. RIT invests in real relationships — local, interest-based, and sustained over time — as the foundation for civic participation.
Nonpartisanship
RIT does not endorse candidates, parties, or ideologies. The work is about systems and access, not political alignment. Tools built here serve everyone or they serve no one.
Accessibility
Civic tools that only experts can use are not civic tools. RIT designs for clarity, usability, and inclusion — meeting people where they are, not where we wish they were.
Dialogue
Disagreement is expected. Bad faith is not. RIT creates spaces where difficult conversations happen productively, with ground rules that protect both candor and dignity.
Creativity
Policy does not have to be dry. Technology does not have to be cold. RIT uses games, events, and unconventional formats to make civic engagement something people actually want to do.
Responsibility
Building tools that affect public life carries obligations. RIT accounts for second-order effects, documents decisions transparently, and owns its mistakes publicly.
Collaboration
No single organization can rebuild civic infrastructure alone. RIT partners with educators, technologists, policymakers, and community organizers — sharing credit and sharing work.
Progress
Shipping matters more than planning. RIT favors working prototypes over polished proposals and measures success by what actually exists, not what was promised.
Transparency
RIT builds in public, publishes its financials, and documents its process. If the organization asks government to be transparent, it holds itself to the same standard.
Ethical Stewardship
Technology is not neutral. Every tool RIT builds encodes values — intentionally. Ethical review is not an afterthought; it is a design constraint applied from the start.
Nonprofit Structure
Rhoades Institute of Technology is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Wisconsin on July 13, 2025. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.