Women in Technology Announces 21st Annual Leadership Award Winners

Professional women in the DMV tech community recognized for extraordinary achievements and inspiring leadership

FALLS CHURCH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Women in Technology (WIT), the premier organization contributing to the success of professional women in the Washington, D.C. area technology community, announced winners of the 21^st Annual Leadership Awards at a Gala held virtually on Thursday, October 29, 2020. The evening honored highly successful women who have inspired their peers and made a significant impact on the local technology community.

The annual WIT Leadership Awards showcases the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of female leaders in entrepreneurial, STEM, government and corporate roles across the Washington, D.C. technology landscape.

“Though this year’s leadership awards looked a bit different than years past, our goal remained the same: to celebrate powerful female leaders who have made a tremendous impact on our local community,” said Carrie Drake, WIT President. “Though we couldn’t celebrate this year’s winners in person, we continue to be inspired by their stories and steadfast commitment to innovation and the advancement of women in STEM.”

This year's winners are as follows:

• Corporate Large-Market Sector - Lisa Finneran, General Dynamics Mission Systems
• Corporate Mid-Market Sector - Tina Kuhn, CyberCore Technologies
• Corporate Small-Market Sector - Lara Coffee, CSCI
• Government & Defense - Christie Canaria, National Cancer Institute
• Rising Star - Rebecca Schneider, Dewberry
• Small Business/Entrepreneur - Sherry Hwang, Pyramid Systems
• STEM Leadership - Brigitte Custer, General Dynamics Information Technology
• Unsung Hero - Kristin Aguiar-Burns Fannie Mae

The Leadership Foundry, a signature program of WIT created to prepare women for corporate board service, also presented its annual Corporate Leadership Award to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC). The Corporate Leadership Award recognizes local public companies that are making a difference in gender diversity on their Board of Directors and in the C-Suite.

In addition to the above winners, this year’s WIT President’s Award was given to Michelle Durante due to her long standing work and exemplary leadership within WIT as part of the membership committee, chair of the Cyber SIG, and as Sponsorship Chair, where she worked to streamline the sponsorship process to ensure WIT was delivering value to its supporters.

About Women in Technology
Women in Technology (WIT) is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of advancing women in technology — from the classroom to the boardroom. With more than 1,000 members in the Washington, D.C. area, WIT fulfills its vision by providing leadership development, technology education, networking, and mentoring opportunities for women at all levels of their careers and for girls interested in STEM. For more information, please visit: womenintechnology.org or connect with us via Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter (@WITWomen)