Meet the 2018 Women in Technology Hall of Fame Inductees

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WITI (Women in Technology International), the leading worldwide authority on women in the business of technology, today announced its six inductees into the 2018 Women in Technology Hall of Fame. The honorees will be inducted at the 24th annual Women In Technology Summit at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in San Jose, CA on June 10-12, 2018.  

The 2018 Distinguished Inductees are:

• Rhonda Childress, IBM Fellow & VP, Data Security and Privacy Officer
• Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler, Internet Pioneer and Technology Historian
• Roz Ho, VP and GM, Consumer & Metadata, TiVo
• Santosh K. Kurinec, Ph.D., Professor of Electrical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Yanbing Li, Ph.D., SVP & GM, Storage & Availability BU, VMware
• Rashmi Rao, Global Head, Advanced Engineering, CoC User Experience, HARMAN

The Women in Technology Hall of Fame Award, considered one of the most prestigious honors for women in technology, was established in 1996 to recognize, honor, and promote the outstanding contributions women make to the technological communities that improve society and business. Winners are also acknowledged for demonstrating a commitment to supporting and mentoring women and girls in STEM worldwide. Click here to see a complete list of past honorees and register for the 2018 Women in Technology Summit.

"The Women in Technology Hall of Fame Awards were established to spotlight the groundbreaking contributions and innovations women bring to business and technology," said WITI Founder and Chairwoman, Carolyn Leighton. "We are proud to welcome this year's talented and outstanding group of inductees."

As of 2017, the Women in Technology Foundation has inducted more than 100 women into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame.

INDUCTEES' BACKGROUND AND ACHIEVEMENTS
For more details on each honoree, visit https://www.witi.com/halloffame/.

Rhonda Childress is one of only 25 female IBM Fellows in IBM's history; as an IBM Master Inventor, she has over 120 issued patents. Ms. Childress is a dedicated global champion for the advancement of women and other underrepresented minorities across the industry. As a STEAM advocate, she is passionate about engaging young women in this movement by demonstrating through technology outcomes.

Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler, an Internet pioneer, managed the Network Information Centers for both the ARPANET and the Defense Data Network, both of which were forerunners of today's Internet. At SRI international, her group managed the network naming system (.com, .edu, etc.) and developed the first WHOIS server, along with an early model for today's email systems. Ms. Feinler is a founding member of the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Roz Ho has extensive experience managing large global cross-functional teams, and holds numerous patents in software and hardware innovations. A champion for gender diversity, Ms. Ho is an advocate and role model for women in technology and science, featured in a documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival entitled "CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap." She recently funded and participated in an expedition to document and revitalize vanishing languages in Micronesia. 

Santosh K. Kurinec is a Fellow of the IEEE, a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, an IEEE Electron Device Society Distinguished Lecturer, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor from the International Association of Advanced Materials. Dr. Kurinec has authored more than 100 research articles and was the recipient of a major grant from the National Science Foundation to prepare students for the frontiers of nanotechnology.

Yanbing Li is a globally minded high-tech executive with extensive leadership experience in general management and engineering in both the US and in China. She has led major technical disruptions that have achieved both significant commercial success and positive impact to the environment. Dr. Li founded an annual Women in Technology conference in Beijing with the goal of inspiring and supporting young women pursuing STEM careers.

Rashmi Rao is an award-winning technologist and leader focused on combining cutting-edge technologies with advanced UX design and human-machine interactions. She has over 21 global awarded patents. Ms. Rao had co-founded a grassroots women's organization focused on professional and personal development of women in technology. She continues to advocate STEM education through HARMAN's partnership with Square One Education Network.

About WITI
Founded in 1989 by Carolyn Leighton, WITI (Women in Technology International) is the leading worldwide authority on women in business and technology. For nearly 30 years, WITI has consistently been a clear voice advocating women's contributions to the tech industry, inspiring them to pursue STEM careers and actively working with corporate partners to create a culture of equality. To learn more, please visit witi.com and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE WITI

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