Qorvis Partner Maura Colleton Corbett Named Finalist for Women in Technology Leadership Award

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Qorvis Communications, one of the fastest-growing integrated communications firms in the U.S., today announced that partner Maura Colleton Corbett is a finalist in the Corporate Commercial Small Business category for the Eleventh Annual Women in Technology (WIT) Leadership Awards.

Corbett was nominated for her accomplishments in the technology and communications industries. She has worked for years in support of an "open Internet," "net neutrality" and the promotion of technological innovation. From the Digital Freedom Campaign and SaveNetRadio campaigns, to the campaign to open access to TV white spaces, Corbett has proven herself as a force to be reckoned with in the tech industry.

"This is a prestigious acknowledgment of Maura's leadership in the field of technology and an affirmation of the guidance and mentorship she provides to women in Washington," said Qorvis Managing Partner Michael Petruzzello, "We're proud of her unparalleled accomplishments for clients and coalitions during this breakthrough policy year for the Internet and communications."

To save Internet radio, the Digital Media Association turned to Corbett to build a grassroots coalition, which became SaveNetRadio. It was heralded as the "grassroots campaign of the year" by National Journal in 2008. The campaign quickly recruited 2,000 webcasters, 6,000 artists and 100,000 "listener activists" to join the fight. Within 10 days of the launch, more than 400,000 people used SaveNetRadio.org to call on Capitol Hill for action and an estimated 1.5 million people did so in the months to follow. The campaign spurred Congress to introduce the Internet Radio Equality Act in both the House and the Senate

Corbett created the Wireless Innovation Alliance, a coalition of more than 20 leading voices from the technology industry, public interest and consumer groups, and educational institutions in a battle to free TV white spaces for public use. Corbett forged a durable coalition that ultimately prevailed against major incumbents like TV broadcasters and manufacturers of wireless microphones. 

Corbett also provides pro bono counsel and mentoring to women-owned businesses and organizations serving women and children, including: DataDyne.org, a not-for-profit dedicated to increasing global public health information in developing countries; and Telecomms Sans Frontieres, an international relief organization that provides emergency communications in disaster areas.

WIT received a record number of nominations this year for the award program and will announce the winners during its annual awards banquet on May 20, 2010 at the Ritz Carlton in Tyson's Corner, Va.

A veteran of the Internet public policy world, Corbett has worked with Fortune 500 communications companies, technology start-ups and public interest groups on high-profile issues including broadband competition and telecommunications reform, spectrum policy, copyright reform, smart grid deployment, Internet governance, and content-related policy issues including privacy and cybersecurity. She brings 20 years of award-winning public affairs and communications expertise to Qorvis, with deep-rooted experience in industry coalition-building for some of the most contentious and high-profile technology public policy battles.

Prior to joining Qorvis, Corbett was a Senior Advisor with MCI WorldCom's Law and Public Policy Group, where she helped develop and advocate Internet public policy positions to policymakers and the media during the historic deregulation of the U.S. telecommunications industry and evolution of the global Internet.  

Qorvis partner Esther Smith is a past recipient of the Women in Technology Leadership Award. An icon in the Washington region business community, she was elected in 2002 to The Washington Business Hall of Fame.

About Qorvis Communications, LLC

Qorvis Communications is one of the nation's largest independent, integrated communications firms. Formed in August 2000, Qorvis provides its clients with expertise in the areas of public and media relations, advertising, public affairs, investor relations and financial services communications, grassroots campaigns, Internet-based campaigns, social media strategies, and research and opinion surveys. For more information, visit www.qorvis.com, contact [email protected] or follow us at @qorvis.

About Women in Technology

Women in Technology (WIT) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to offering women involved in all levels of the technology industry a wide range of professional development and networking opportunities. One of the organization's main goals is to create a forum where women in technology can be recognized and promoted as role models. The organization's values are embodied in its tag line: Connect. Lead. Succeed. WIT was founded in 1994 and has nearly 1,000 members. For more information, please visit WIT's web site, www.womenintechnology.org.

SOURCE Qorvis Communications