Anita Borg Institute Announces Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Technical Executive Plenary Panel

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) announced today the speakers for the third annual Plenary Panel of Technology Executives for the 10^th annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), which will be held September 28-October 2 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. The Plenary Panel of Technology Executives will include Amy Alving, Chief Technology Officer, SAIC, Kelli Crane, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Thomson Reuters, Romea Smith, Senior Vice President, CA Technologies, Support and Kalpana Margabandhu, Director, Websphere Development, IBM India. The panel will be moderated by Rebecca Norlander, Executive in Residence, Illuminate Ventures. The theme of the panel is “Collaborative Leadership in Driving Innovation”.

The world’s largest gathering of women in computing in industry, academia, and government, GHC is a five-day technical conference designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Leading researchers and industry experts discuss their current work, while special sessions focus on the role of women in today’s technology fields, including computer science, information technology, research, and engineering. The theme of this year’s conference is “Collaborating across Boundaries”.

About This Year’s Senior Technology Plenary Panel Speakers

Amy Alving, Chief Technology Officer, Science Applications International Corporation
Dr. Amy Alving is the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation. She leads SAIC’s Office of Technology and is responsible for the creation, communication and implementation of SAIC’s technical and scientific vision and strategy. Dr. Alving has a diverse background in government and academia, with over 15 years of accomplishments in the areas of technology and national security.

Kelli Crane, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Thomson Reuters
As CIO of Thomson Reuters, Kelli Crane spearheads the development and implementation of a global information technology plan that aligns with the business strategy and leads the organization in implementing advanced enterprise information systems across its vertical businesses. She plays a key role in driving the execution of strategic initiatives and coordinating and tracking major technology projects, bringing Thomson and Reuters together under one technology umbrella. Ms. Crane has been with the company for 23 years, holding positions in technology and operations.

Kalpana Margabandhu, Director, Websphere Development, IBM India
Kalpana Margabandhu is the Director of Websphere Development in the IBM India Software Lab. Kalpana has received several awards in recognition of her leadership with the India Software Lab. She was named the recipient of the IT People Award for Women Leadership in 2007 and the Women in Leadership (WILL) Women’s Choice Award in 2008. In addition to being on the Board of IBM India, Kalpana is very involved in various women’s groups in India.

Romea Smith, Senior Vice President – CA Technologies, Support
Romea Smith was appointed Senior Vice President – CA Technologies, Support in April 2008. Since joining CA in 2000, Romea has been instrumental in enhancing CA Technologies’ ability to provide quality technical support and has been the driving force in improving customer satisfaction and employee experience. Prior to joining CA Technologies, Romea held multiple leadership positions with Sterling Software and Systems Center.

Rebecca Norlander, Executive in Residence, Illuminate Ventures
Prior to joining Illuminate Ventures, Rebecca Norlander started as a Software Design Engineer at Microsoft in 1991. She held many positions in various Microsoft development organizations, most recently as General Manager of the System Protection Team in Windows.

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)

The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. ABI programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, Microsoft, HP, CA, Cisco, First Republic Bank, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lockheed Martin, National Science Foundation, NSA, NetApp, SAP, Oracle/Sun, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, Motorola Foundation, Yahoo!, Amazon, Facebook, and Raytheon. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.