NMTC annouces 2012 NM Women in Technology Award Winners

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New Mexico Technology Council (NMTC) announced the winners of its New Mexico Women in Technology Awards for 2012 at a breakfast celebration in Albuquerque. Nine women were honored, leaders from throughout New Mexico in IT, BioTech and Life Sciences, Media, Education and Entrepreneurship.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121102/DC04253LOGO)

The celebration, their fifth annual, included a keynote talk from Valerie Plame Wilson, author of the bestselling memoir, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House as well as cash scholarships to ten female high school seniors pursuing degrees in technology and the sciences at institutions of higher learning in New Mexico. Over 200 people attended the event.

2012 award winners were:

MyChelle Andrews, Data Architect and Business Intelligence Manager, City of Albuquerque
Grace Brill, Founder, Market Intelligence Solutions
Agnes Chavez, Multi-Disciplinary Artist/Edu-preneur, Sube, Inc.
Sonya Cooper, Associate Dean, College of Engineering at NMSU
Charlotte D. Mobarak, CSO, ProteaSure, Inc.
Katie Stone, Host/Producer, The Children's Hour KUNM
Loraine V. Upham, CEO, Azano Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Angela Wandinger-Ness, Professor, UNM Health Sciences Center
Dr. Cheryl Willman, Director & CEO, UNM Cancer Center

The awards were created to "highlight some of the great talent we have in New Mexico," said NMTC Executive Director, Eric Renz-Whitmore. "Each year we're amazed by the ground-breaking work being done locally."

"Our Women in Technology group was created to connect female professionals, provide mentorship opportunities and encourage young women to pursue careers in technology," said Lisa Adkins, NMTC Chairwoman and Director of Albuquerque's new BioScience Center. "The stories of women like Valerie and this year's awardees inspire all of us."

Additional information about this year's awardees can be found at the NMTC site.

The group and annual award series are part of efforts by the New Mexico Technology Council and its partners to address the relative lack of women in technology and related fields like tech entrepreneurship. A recent study by the Computing Research Association found that less than 12% of Computer Science degrees were awarded to women in 2010-2011*.

For more information, please see:
New Mexico Technology Council Women in Technology Celebration 2012: http://www.nmtechcouncil.org/newsevents/wit2012

Computer Research Association: CS Degree and Enrollment Trends 2010-2011: http://www.cra.org/uploads/documents/resources/taulbee/CS_Degree_and_Enrollment_Trends_2010-11.pdf

About the New Mexico Technology Council
The New Mexico Technology Council (www.nmtechcouncil.org) was founded in 2000 as the New Mexico Information Technology and Software Association (NMITSA) to promote the growth of New Mexico's technology business community. 

Contact:
Eric Renz-Whitmore
[email protected]
(505) 227-1086

SOURCE New Mexico Technology Council