Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders in Technology for 2023. Women in the technology space have broken down barriers and shattered stereotypes, carving out an inspiring path for generations to come. These trailblazing individuals have demonstrated remarkable innovation, resilience, and determination in a field traditionally dominated by men. Through their visionary leadership, they have pioneered groundbreaking technologies, spearheaded transformative initiatives, and fostered inclusive work environments. Some of this year’s awardees serve at organizations known around the world including McKinsey & Company, IBM, and Microsoft. Each individual has not only achieved remarkable success in their own right but has also become a powerful advocate for diversity and gender equality within the industry.
Among this year’s awardees is Kinnera Angadi, Chief Technology Officer for Honeywell Smart Energy & Thermal Solutions, who leads digital transformation and sustainability efforts by delivering innovative metering, communication, and software solutions for utilities, fostering innovation, resource preservation, and energy efficiency. Awardee Tanya Rodriguez-Heffel, Chief Technology Officer for the State of Kansas, drives strategic digital evolution, technology integration, and innovation collaboration among state agencies to enhance the state's position as a technology leader, encompassing information security and privacy. Also awarded is Lakecia Gunter, the Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft's Global Partner Solutions, who leads the technical vision and strategy to drive digital transformation within the industry's largest partner ecosystem while navigating the forefront of AI and technological advancements.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders in Technology for 2023.
1. Nancy Kramer
Global Chief Evangelist, IBM iX
Nancy Kramer serves as the Global Chief Evangelist for IBM iX. She is the founder and former CEO of Resource/Ammirati, an award-winning digital agency acquired by IBM in 2016. Kramer has spent a lifetime as an entrepreneur in marketing and technology. In her role at IBM, she focuses on C-Suite client relationships with chief marketing officers and chief digital officers, as well as CEOs. She is a subject matter expert in the areas of corporate vision, marketing, marketing experiences, and marketing transformation.
Believing computers would change the world, Kramer launched Resource with Apple as its first client in 1981, growing the company into a multi-office, 350-associate digital marketing pioneer. Over three decades her team’s iconic work included many industry firsts, from creating Apple’s first interactive retail experience to launching one of the internet’s first live-streaming events which is memorialized in a time capsule at MIT Sloan’s School of Management to the first fully integrated social commerce experience, which received a U.S. patent. Kramer serves on several boards, including the Wexner Center for the Arts, The Columbus Foundation, The Columbus Partnership, The Wellington Initiative, Root Insurance and publicly traded MI Homes. Kramer is an advocate for LGBTQ rights, having testified in front of a Congress in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, and also named an LGBTQ Ally of the Year in 2013 by Equality Ohio. Kramer is the founder of the FTT Foundation, which through the Free the Tampons campaign has launched a national discussion about access to feminine care products in public restrooms. She graduated from The Ohio State University.
2. Kinnera Angadi
Chief Technology Officer, Honeywell Smart Energy & Thermal Solutions
Kinnera Angadi is the Chief Technology Officer for Honeywell Smart Energy & Thermal Solutions. Honeywell Smart Energy is a smarter approach to utilities. Their portfolio of end-to-end solutions wirelessly connects utilities assets and processes to any network, allowing their customers to harness real-time, actionable data so they can run safer, more efficiently, reliably, and cost-effectively.
As a leader in digital transformation with a focus on sustainability, Kinnera delivers metering innovations, cutting-edge communication platforms, and software solutions to the utility industry that support a cleaner, smarter future. Within the organization, Kinnera also inspires innovation through digitization and advanced technologies to solve key challenges for electric, water, gas, burners, and thermal customers. She does this while preserving precious resources, working toward energy efficiency, and reducing waste. From end to end, Kinnera empowers utilities across the energy and thermal landscapes and greatly contributes to their success.
3. Jill Niland
Chief Transformation Officer, ServiceMaster® Brands
Jill Niland is the Chief Transformation Officer at ServiceMaster® Brands focused on the growth of their six brands. They have been a leader in needs-based services businesses for nearly a century and generate more than $3.5B in system-wide sales annually. In her role, Jill focuses on shared services, automation, process improvement, and business intelligence across the brands and functional teams.
Jill was formerly the leader of PwC's Automated Managed Services at PwC, a data-driven, digital solution for financial and compliance reporting, and also spent 15 years as a partner in PwC’s deals business. She holds a graduate degree in human-computer interaction from Georgia Tech and an undergraduate degree in accounting.
5. Monika Panpaliya
Head of Global Technology Product & Agility Office, JPMorgan Chase
Monika Panpaliya is the Head of the Global Technology Product & Agility Office at JPMorgan Chase. She is a technology leader with 20+ years of experience across diverse operational and strategic roles within the financial services, aerospace & defense, and mobile and telecommunication sectors. Monika has an extensive background in digital transformation, information technology, product management, and software engineering.
Prior to JPMC, Monika spent seven years at Boeing as an executive within the information technology and data analytics function where she led Digital Common Services, Boeing IT International, and End User Infrastructure Services. Before Boeing, Monika worked at Sprint where she oversaw product development for Sprint’s Mobile Broadband & Connected Devices portfolio and served as chief of staff to the Product organization.
Monika was awarded the 2019 Corporate Responsibility Award at the Women of Color STEM conference and has seven technology patents from the US Patent & Trademark Office. In addition, her volunteerism and affiliations include Inspire CIO, Inspiring Women in Technology, Women in Cloud, The Indus Entrepreneurs, and the Society of Women Engineers. She holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an undergraduate degree in computer engineering from the College of Engineering in Pune.
6. Kate Richling
Global Chief Marketing Officer, Media.Monks
Kate Richling leads global marketing initiatives across Media.Monks, including marketing, PR, awards, and internal communications. In July 2018, the company merged with S4Capital, and shortly thereafter went public issuing its bold ambition to integrate digital specialists working across content, data, digital media, and technology services in a unitary structure, disrupting the traditional agency and holdco landscape. During her time at Media.Monks, the company has grown from 750 to 9,000+ "Monks'' globally. As the company's first-ever CMO, Kate helped successfully launch the unitary Media.Monks brand in August 2021. In addition to bringing together over a dozen companies under one name, this process involved integrating many marketing teams into a unified one. Following this successful launch, her perspective on how to build brands that put people first was featured in The Drum, amongst wide coverage in other major ad trades.
Having built and led teams across executive leadership posts at Birdsnest and Phenomblue, Kate is an entrepreneur, tech advocate, and a PR and marketing junkie with a sharp eye on the shifting agency landscape. Kate has spoken on stages across the world about how brands can build robust content and marketing strategies that yield impactful business results and fill the funnel. By keeping a pulse on the reigning challenges and opportunities faced by brands today, she translates global brand stories into tangible takeaways for marketers of organizations of all sizes working cross-industry. Kate’s commitment to demonstrating the breadth and depth of Media.Monks’ multidisciplinary talent has earned the team international recognition as one of AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players, Webby’s Production Company of the Year, Campaign’s Social Media Agency of the Year, and placement on Adweek’s Fastest Growing lists. Through Kate’s leadership and analyst relations, Media.Monks was also featured in two Forrester Waves for the first time in 2022, and featured alongside the Big 5 and global consultancies as a leading Global Marketing Services partner. In collaboration with subject matter experts across the team, she launched The Transformation of Digital report: a bold declaration to the industry about evolving consumer behaviors and their influence on the next frontier for growth. Elsewhere, Kate has shared her expertise on the pages of The New York Times, Adweek, The Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, and USA Today.
8. Lakecia Gunter
Chief Technology Officer of Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft
Lakecia Gunter currently serves as Chief Technology Officer for the Global Partner Solutions (GPS) organization at Microsoft, the largest partner ecosystem in the industry, empowering partners to drive digital transformation. In this role, Lakecia defines the technical vision and strategy for GPS to achieve Microsoft’s mission through partners, enabling partners to build innovative solutions that help customers achieve their digital transformation goals and achieve successful business outcomes. She is at the forefront of helping guide GPS and partners through the next wave of technological innovations and advancements in AI.
Lakecia has held several leadership roles at Microsoft. Most recently, she served as VP and GM of the Device Partner Solution Sales group at Microsoft, and before that as the VP and GM of the Worldwide Internet of Things Partner Ecosystem, Global Channel Sales. Before joining Microsoft, she held several leadership roles at Intel Corporation and currently serves as an independent director for IDEX corporation, and is a member of the Board’s Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.
Lakecia has been named to The CRN Women of the Channel list for 2023 and has been recognized as one of 100 Influential Women in Tech to Watch in 2022 by the WomenTech Network. In 2021, Lakecia was named to Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Corporate Director’s list. She volunteers through numerous community service organizations both locally and nationally, serves on the board of trustees for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council as well as Black Women on Boards. She recently launched a podcast called ROAR with Lakecia Gunter where she spotlights leaders, industry experts, executive coaches, and successful entrepreneurs from around the globe. She earned an undergraduate degree in computer engineering from the University of South Florida and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
View the complete list of awardees.
9. Arati Chavan
Staff VP in the Global Chief Information Security Office, Elevance Health
Arati Chavan is a Staff Vice President in the Global Chief Information Security Office at Elevance Health. As a Global Head of the Identity and Access Management team, she leads a global team of over 250 people to drive security transformation initiatives. Arati is an accomplished technology and security executive known for her leadership style and for delivering results in Fortune 500 companies such as Elevance Health, Synchrony Financial, General Electric, and Citizens Bank. With a strong focus on being brilliant at basics and constantly adapting the innovation, she has successfully led large-scale strategic transformation initiatives to deliver substantial business value.
Arati Chavan is known for her great ability and passion for leading people, her forward-thinking approach, her intellectual curiosity paired with business acumen, and focus on developing high-performing teams and enabling people to excel to their fullest potential. Passionate about solving complex business problems by fostering positive stakeholder relationships and building strong teams, Arati loves to bring structure to the madness and deliver unimaginable results with strong teams.
Arati has an executive master’s degree in technology management from Columbia University where she excelled in digital strategy and leadership, leading disruptive change in the digital economy, cybersecurity strategy, and strategic advocacy. She has been an energizing and engaging speaker, panelist, and mentor for Girls Who Code. Arati is an active contributor to various diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is a supporter of girls' education internationally.
10. Rong Pan
Corporate Vice President of Network Architecture, AMD
Rong Pan currently holds the position of Corporate Vice President at AMD, where she assumes a pivotal role in steering the architecture and design aspects of advanced network platforms. These designs are instrumental in orchestrating the interconnection of GPUs for expansive AI/ML clusters. Furthermore, Dr. Pan leads AMD's networking initiatives within the Ultra Ethernet Consortium, an upcoming industry forum.
Over her distinguished career, Dr. Pan has left an indelible mark across various organizations, including AMD, Intel Corporation, Cisco Systems, Stanford University, Bell Laboratories, as well as several startups. With an impressive track record spanning over two decades, she has significantly influenced the landscape of networking and touched hundreds of millions of users worldwide. These profound impacts are evidenced by their integration into IEEE standards, the Linux Kernel, cloud services, and within Cisco’s flagship products with a combined revenue of more than $10B/year.
With over 40 research papers and more than 50 patents, her influence is both extensive and enduring. She has garnered accolades such as best paper awards, participation on esteemed program committees, and leadership in technical conference chairing roles. Dr. Pan received her PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
12. Tanya Rodriguez-Heffel
Chief Technology Officer, State of Kansas
Appointed Chief Technology Officer for the State of Kansas in July 2021, Tanya Rodriguez-Heffel plays an integral role in the strategic direction, development, and evolution of our state’s digital strategy across all technology stacks including information security and privacy. Tanya is committed to working across state agencies to provide technology solutions that will help Kansas position itself as an innovation leader.
Tanya’s extensive experience in the private sector includes director of technical operations & client services for Georgetown University Law Center. In that role, she re-engineered operational, technical, and support processes and platforms to deliver enhanced technology solutions and customer service to faculty, staff, and students. Before her time at Georgetown, Tanya served as CISO with SecureIT, as well as the senior director of Monster Government Solutions. At each of these organizations, Tanya has improved processes and responded to the needs of her customers. Tanya holds a dual bachelor’s degree and an MSS from Virginia Tech.
13. Jaya Vaidhyanathan
CEO, BCT Digital
An advocate for perseverance, discipline, and innovation, Jaya Vaidhyanathan believes in making the present count while keeping a hawk-eye on the future. She brings these ideas to her current role as CEO at BCT Digital and as an Independent Director on the Boards of UTI Asset Management, IndiGrid, and as the Non-Executive Director on the board of PWC oversight committee, with each day further shaping her values and passion for banking, financial, FinTech and CleanTech verticals. A journey that started seven years ago, BCT Digital has been a story of growth and success in an industry undergoing exceptional transformation. A range of cutting-edge, predictive, AI solutions such as rt360 Early Warning System (EWS), rt360 Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), rt360 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), rt360 Model Risk Management (MRM) are among the top products built during this journey, which has led to paving the way for BCT Digital to emerge as a digital transformation catalyst in the risk management space.
Before joining BCT, Jaya served as the EVP of Standard Chartered Bank, director and head of the large deal business at HCL, and managing partner for the financial services business at Accenture after a stint with Wall Street. She drives the banking committee of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the CII CEO forum and Economic Times Indian Leadership Council. Jaya, after completing her degree in engineering, headed for an MBA in finance and strategy from Cornell University. She also holds a CFA charter and is part of the CFA Society, New York. She served on the board of Mahindra Sanyo Steel as an independent director, on the advisory board of Spice Mobility, and as an advisor to high-impact social welfare organizations, like the Mastermind Foundation.
14. Susannah P. Torpey
Litigation Partner & Co-Chair, Winston & Strawn
As Co-Chair of Winston’s Technology Antitrust Group and a Litigation Partner, Susannah Torpey litigates cutting-edge issues at the evolving intersection of antitrust, IP, and technology. She has more than 15 years of experience representing leading companies and competitors in the preparation, trial, and appeal of complex antitrust cases. She regularly represents plaintiffs, as well as defendants, and has represented clients in both civil and criminal matters, including in international criminal antitrust investigations.
Susannah has represented and counseled clients in a variety of industries, including high-tech; artificial intelligence; blockchain; fintech; internet; web app; IoT; e-commerce and data platforms; wireless connectivity (2G-5G); semiconductors and next-gen memory products; computer products; open source software, VoIP; electronic trading, patent aggregation, and licensing; pharmaceutical; biotech; publishing; professional sports; international trade; consulting; and financial services industries. She has been repeatedly recognized as a “SuperLawyer,” “Top Woman Attorney,” and a “Star” in Antitrust and Litigation for obtaining critical wins for her clients, whether at trial on behalf of plaintiffs or by winning complete dismissals on behalf of defendants. Susannah regularly represents major U.S. and multinational corporations in high-profile, multi-district, and class action litigation and government investigations involving a wide array of federal and state antitrust issues, including monopolization, monopoly leveraging, price fixing, wage fixing, no-poach agreements, group boycotts, exclusive dealing, tying, price discrimination, unfair competition, anti-competitive product redesign, interoperability degradation, and mixed issues of antitrust and intellectual property law relating to Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) obligations, standard-setting, patent licensing, patent misuse, and fraud on the PTO. Susannah also routinely counsels international and US businesses regarding the minimization of antitrust risk, pricing strategies, antitrust compliance, and business issues relating to the use of tech and IP, many of which are key to a company’s global strategy.
15. Tiffani Misencik
Chief Revenue Officer, Greenway Health
As Chief Revenue Officer, Tiffani Misencik plays a role in all aspects of sales, sales operations, and marketing including integrated sales initiatives that differentiate Greenway Health in the marketplace. She focuses on how innovative solutions create value by improving the patient experience and driving provider success. Named a Becker’s Hospital Review Women in Healthcare IT to Know, Tiffani has proven her ability to implement growth strategies and lead cross-functional teams. She brings more than two decades of industry experience and insight into all aspects of health IT.
Prior to joining Greenway, Tiffani was on the senior leadership team of Intelerad Medical Systems (IMS), a private equity-owned medical imaging solutions company. Before IMS, she worked for Allscripts for more than 16 years, most recently as VP of hospital and health systems. Tiffani holds an undergraduate degree in communication from Ohio University and is pursuing an Executive Leadership and Performance Coaching certification accredited by the International Coach Federation from the Brown University School of Professional Studies. She also serves as a judge for the Women in Sales Awards and is a member of the International Society of Female Professionals.
16. Susan Hubbard
Deputy Laboratory Director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory for Science & Technology
EVP for Science & Technology, UT-Battelle
Dr. Susan Hubbard is the Deputy Laboratory Director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for Science and Technology and the Executive Vice President for Science and Technology at UT-Battelle. Dr. Hubbard guides one of the nation's most extensive portfolios of research and development. The portfolio spans physical and materials sciences, energy sciences, computational sciences, neutron sciences, biological sciences, climate, and environmental sciences, isotope technologies, and global security. She also oversees ORNL’s transfer of technologies into the marketplace, educational research programs, and institutional partnerships. Prior to ORNL, she was an associate laboratory director at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and a scientist at the US Geological Survey and in industry.
Susan is recognized for the development of geophysical approaches to quantify near-surface processes that govern water availability, water quality, carbon cycling, and agricultural soil health. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, and a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Among other awards, she is also a recipient of the Society of Exploration Geophysicist Harold Mooney, Frank Freschkinecht, and Near Surface Global Awards and the Geological Society of America Birdsall-Dreiss Lecturer Award.
View the complete list of awardees.
18. Rachael Britt-McGraw
Chief Information Officer, Summit Medical Group
Rachael Britt-McGraw offers over 30 years of information technology experience from both leadership and technical perspectives. Over her career, she has served in the following industries: health care, restaurant, hospitality, warehousing and distribution, transportation, retail, textiles, and manufacturing. She is currently seated as the Chief Information Officer at Summit Medical Group, the leader in primary care, internal medicine, pediatric and rheumatology services in the region. Britt-McGraw provides overall IT leadership, strategic vision, contract and vendor management, and process improvement for this multi-specialty practice with over 300 providers and 90 care locations. In this role, her teams are responsible for all aspects of information technology including connectivity and telecom, WAN/LAN, cybersecurity electronic health record and electronic practice management systems, development of websites and interfaces, data warehousing, business analytics, training, helpdesk, and end-user computing support, and all quality care/HEDIS/MU/MIPS/MACRA initiatives.
Before SMG, she was seated for over 8 years as the CIO for Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance, a large surgical practice with over 100 orthopaedic surgeons. In her time with TOA, Rachael oversaw the implementation of the Electronic Health Record and Practice Management systems and designed various interfaces centered upon saving the surgeon's time while maintaining the touchpoints required to meet federal mandates. She renegotiated all IT contracts, putting TOA in a strong position with strong business partners. Earlier experience in her career includes bringing about PCI compliance for a level 1 merchant, and for creating robust Disaster Recovery platforms.
Britt-McGraw holds an undergraduate degree in computer science - systems analysis and design, and an undergraduate degree in resource management. She is also certified by the College of Health Information Management Executives. Accustomed to delivering and explaining complex technical concepts to business leaders, she is active in public speaking and delivering presentations to Boards of Directors and large public audiences.
19. Lynn Tornabene
Chief Marketing Officer, Anteriad
Lynn Tornabene is an accomplished business leader who has led and implemented successful brand transformations, launched market-leading products and built and developed high-performing marketing and research teams. Her decades of experience span ad-tech, mar-tech, data, media, and advertising. As Chief Marketing Officer of Anteriad, she leads the global marketing team in positioning the company for growth. Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Forbes, SHRM, and Lenovo have benefited from Anteriad’s high-fidelity B2B buyer data, full and self-service multichannel execution, tele-based conversion services, analytics, and expert advisory to generate impactful ROI multiples. BNZSA, Anteriad’s international division, delivers GDPR-compliant data and qualified prospects directly to sales teams with BDRs and SDRs that offer local expertise in 26 languages.
Prior to joining Anteriad in May 2022, Lynn was the global VP of product marketing for Oracle Advertising and Marketing Solutions, leading product marketing for the company’s mar-tech, ad-tech, and advertising data. She had previously served as the head of marketing for Oracle Data Cloud. Before Oracle, Lynn was the CMO of AffinityX, a global creative and media services company, and held marketing executive and leadership roles at Apple, Quattro Wireless, Google, DoubleClick, Wunderman, and IBM. Lynn earned an MS in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University and an undergraduate degree in English and media from Indiana University. She spends her personal time supporting organizations that help women and children globally, searching for treatments for Alzheimer’s, and supporting families with children with special needs, as well as traveling and hanging out with her family.
20. Cereen Varghese
Chief Product Officer, Caresoft Global
Cereen Varghese is the Chief Product Officer of Caresoft Global, a global engineering solutions company. Teams at Caresoft work closely with major automotive, on-highway, agriculture & construction equipment manufacturers and tier-I suppliers to solve engineering challenges relative to product development, cost optimization, manufacturing, and aftermarket. Cereen is responsible for driving the product vision and strategy, developing product roadmaps, and leading cross-functional teams to deliver innovative products that meet our customer needs focusing on the EV sector. She also leads the global engineering team to ensure that our products are built with the latest technologies and best practices. In addition to the products, she leads the development and implementation of AI strategies and solutions to enhance the company's benchmarking processes and operations.
Prior to joining Caresoft, Cereen was the CTO for Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM). She was instrumental in integrating Salesforce in their global regions and also leading the digital transformation through technology initiatives. As a member of ODBM’s Global Executive Team, Cereen focused on enabling a secure, scalable, and data-driven ecosystem and enabling various digital channels of the ministry to reach new and existing audiences through best-in-class user experiences. Before ODBM, she served as VP of IT at Concentrix Ltd. Cereen is passionate about understanding growth, productivity, and user experience through cross-discipline partnerships and driving synergies between business leadership, operations, and IT. She also works very closely in supporting women and closing the diversity gap in technology.
21. Shoma Thomas
Chief Marketing Officer, WellSky
As Chief Marketing Officer, Shoma Sarkar Thomas oversees the marketing strategy for all WellSky products and is responsible for building the WellSky brand, which includes public relations, communications, and all strategic marketing activities. WellSky is a technology company advancing human wellness worldwide. Their software and professional services address the continuum of health and social care, helping businesses, organizations, and communities solve tough challenges, improve collaboration for growth, and achieve better outcomes through predictive insights that only WellSky solutions can provide. They serve more than 20,000 client sites around the world including the largest hospital systems, blood banks and labs, home health and hospice franchises, government agencies, and human services organizations.
Previously, Shoma served as vice president of marketing for Kinnser Software, where she led marketing and strategic growth initiatives. She holds an undergraduate degree in economics and international relations from the University of Virginia.
23. Jennifer Leatherbarrow RN BSN RAC-CT RAC-CTA IPCO QCP CIC
Senior Vice President of Informatics, Complete Care Management
Jennifer Leatherbarrow is the Senior Vice President of Informatics of Complete Care Management where she specializes in Nursing process improvement and best practice, clinical software configuration and implementation, clinical automation and efficiencies, infection prevention, regulatory compliance, and information technology. She first joined the company in 2022. Complete Care oversees over 80 nursing homes and assisted living facilities in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. The goal of Complete Care Management is to make a difference in the lives of patients by providing high-quality services and compassionate care.
Leatherbarrow is a Registered Nurse graduate of Kent State University’s School of Nursing. She has over 24 years of healthcare experience including roles as a nursing consultant, corporate reimbursement specialist, director of nursing, MDS coordinator, and staff development coordinator.
View the complete list of awardees.
24. Lydia Scherr
Chief Information Officer, Appreciation Financial
Lydia Scherr is a forward-thinking leader with a robust blend of technology and financial acumen. As the Chief Information Officer of Appreciation Financial, a premier financial services company and life insurance marketing agency, Lydia has played a pivotal role in reshaping the company's technological landscape. She's successfully expanded and streamlined reporting processes, introduced new SOPs, and elevated the performance of technological resources, ensuring they're leveraged to their fullest potential.
Venturing beyond traditional finance, Lydia's research in web3 has delved deep into the applications of blockchain, unearthing its profound implications for finance, real estate, and transparent grant-making in the nonprofit domain. In 2022, she founded The People's Accords, a nonprofit dedicated to social justice and environmental sustainability. In just a short span, the organization has made remarkable strides; it has garnered recognition from influential leadership in Washington, DC and, as of 2023, has already surpassed its operational impact goals. Over 500 individuals have directly benefited from projects spearheaded by the organization's citizen diplomats. Moreover, The People's Accords boasts a stellar leadership team, comprising top professionals across disciplines such as diplomacy, blockchain, finance, planned giving, and economic inequality.
Holding an MA in climate and society from Columbia University, Lydia's achievements aren't limited to her academic and professional pursuits. She stands recognized as a debate and martial arts champion. Passionately driven, she continuously seeks avenues to harness technology for societal welfare, aiming for a world steeped in equity and sustainability.
26. Monica Rosser
Chief Growth Officer, Tria Federal
An inspired leader, visionary, and strategist bringing more than 15+ years of commercial and federal experience to the C-suite, Monica is a well-established leader of the industry at the forefront of the digital transformation movement. As Chief Growth Officer for Tria Federal (Tria), Monica has applied her leadership, vision, and business acumen to position the new brand as the premier middle-market IT and Advisory solutions provider and a driving force behind a smarter, leaner, future-thriving federal government.
Before the launch of Tria Federal in March 2023, Monica served as chief growth officer for leading IT solutions provider Favor TechConsulting, LLC (FTC) for 5+ years - fueling FTC’s impressive year-over-year revenue growth, amassing a billion-dollar portfolio within the Department of Veteran Affairs alone, and expanding FTC’s footprint in new markets by securing key contracts within the Defense Health Agency, United States Air Force, and Defense Intelligence Agency, among others. When FTC was acquired by management consulting firm Federal Advisory Partners (F|A|P) in 2022 and began the integration process aligning synergies in a private equity-backed strategic partnership with fellow industry leaders F|A|P and Universal Consulting Services (UCS), Monica played a key role in shaping the unified platform - driving critical team collaboration and knowledge sharing, integrating a $10B+ opportunity pipeline, aligning three high-performing Growth teams into a single, unified, streamlined business development process, and charting the course for a future of supercharged growth. Following the launch of the F|A|P – FTC – UCS platform’s new name Tria Federal (Tria) and bold new brand in March 2023, Monica continues to drive key capability-building, firm eminence, and employee engagement initiatives that shape Tria’s “employer of choice” culture and professional community.
A dynamic servant leader and champion of diversity as a catalyst for innovation, Monica empowers teams to think big, embrace new perspectives, and lead with authenticity. With a unique style that blends extraordinary passion, enthusiasm, intellect, a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the industry, compassion, and humor, Monica manages growth in a forward-thinking manner and works tirelessly to continuously improve key practices, adopt new ideas from the commercial space, and apply her extensive experience to improve outcomes. Centered by her deep commitment to team, family, and community, Monica is a vocal advocate for finding balance in this high-paced environment, striving to ensure equality across leadership roles in this community. In the past year alone, Monica has earned recognition for her exceptional leadership, impact on industry, and advocacy for women in the field of technology.
27. Kristin Begley
Chief Growth Officer, Capital Rx
Kristin Begley is the Chief Growth Officer of Capital Rx. She is responsible for the expansion and growth of the company’s commercial business. She has oversight of market-facing initiatives including direct client prospecting activities and channel partner maximization. Additionally, Kristin leverages her many years of experience in pharmaceutical supply chain, value-based care, and technology infrastructure providing payers and health systems modular software, hardware, and health advocacy solutions focused on engaging and empowering women in family health.
Before joining Capital Rx, Kristin worked in executive positions at Wildflower Health, EmpiRx Health, Truveris, and Aon-Hewitt. She graduated from Samford University with a PharmD and has a postdoctoral residency from the Managed Care Institute. Kristin maintains active pharmacy licenses in Alabama, Florida, and New York.
28. Penelope Merced
Chief Technology Officer, MidCap Financial
Penelope Merced is distinguished by her ability to influence, lead, think strategically, establish business partnerships, and execute. She successfully leads organizations through the ever-evolving digital landscape by aligning technology initiatives with strategic objectives and providing a cohesive long-term vision. With over two decades of technical leadership experience, Penelope is a strategic digital designer who can keep a dozen balls in the air and knows how all those balls fit in the long-term digital vision. Her unique blend of analytical skills, technical knowledge, and business acumen allows her to Integrate technology, business processes, and people to drive business agility and innovation.
Penelope currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer at MidCap Financial, driving digital transformation initiatives that generate tangible value for MidCap and pioneering innovative technology strategies. She has headed their IT department since 2016 and has established the five core domains of IT from the ground up, infrastructure and operations, cybersecurity, data management, application services, and business systems. Her priorities include enterprise data management and data analytics capabilities, cybersecurity risk management, and business process optimization.
Prior to MidCap, Penelope led an enterprise strategic consulting team at Dataprise while serving as a CIO consultant to numerous businesses in Washington, DC. Before that, she held various IT leadership positions at an IT consulting firm in Manhattan, New York. She has a master’s degree in management of IT from the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree in information technology from Silliman University. When asked about factors that make an IT organization successful, she responded: “It’s the people. As leaders, we must continuously create a positive work environment conducive to growth and progress. Lead with fairness and clarity, set the tone and direction for the workplace, understand group dynamics, and ensure that everyone works together as a cohesive unit.”
29. Rachel Cohen
Chief Executive Officer, RFC Strategies, LLC
Rachel Cohen is the Chief Executive Officer of RFC Strategies, LLC. She has over 25 years of experience growing businesses, developing methodologies and programs, leading and winning multiple large captures (>$1B+), leading and executing complex process improvement initiatives and programs, and training/mentoring others on methodologies across the government, within Booz Allen as a VP, and as the chief growth officer for MetroStar Systems, a mid-sized technology company.
Cohen is a champion of our Women in Technology Community of Practice internal group. She has helped plan and give welcoming remarks to the Women’s Equality Day Panel. She first got her start in 1996 as a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton. Cohen graduated from Georgetown University of Walsh School of Foreign Service with an MA in Latin American studies and from Oberlin College with an undergraduate degree in history, Spanish, and Latin American studies.
30. Chandralekha Tanwar
VP of Delivery, Webonise
Chandralekha Tanwar's professional journey began 11 years ago as a business analyst at Webonise, a prominent tech company renowned for its cutting-edge software development and technology solutions. Through her unwavering dedication and diligent efforts, she ascended through the ranks to become the first female senior leadership member within the organization. Her journey was marked by a mastery of executing highly complex technology initiatives, an acute understanding of business, and a talent for effective communication and collaborative teamwork.
From the early stages of her career, Chandralekha assumed the forefront in driving digital transformation. She orchestrated groundbreaking presentations centered on the mobile-first product strategy. Under her leadership, Webonise embraced the “mobile first” approach, emerging as a pioneer advocate and a mentor for adopting agile software development methodologies.
At present, she spearheads global initiatives encompassing the recruitment, education, and supervision of a new process aimed at enhancing operational efficiency across her worldwide team of more than 30 people located across the US, Canada, and India. Chandralekha also champions coaching programs tailored for traditional middle-market businesses, facilitating their digital transformation journeys through agile workflows characterized by adaptable and iterative business models. This approach leads to augmented profit margins and heightened revenues, all while maintaining consistent operational costs. The transformation is further enriched by migrating their legacy systems to modern tech stacks, integrating microservices, embracing composable architecture, and delivering personalized user experiences.
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31. Cecily Mak
Co-Founding General Partner, Wisdom Ventures
Cecily Mak has more than two decades of experience as a mid-stage start-up operator with a background in strategic partnerships, fundraising, adaptive planning, and talent optimization. She drove strategy and operations as a partner at ConsenSys and served as portfolio manager for over 25 early-stage companies in the emergent blockchain ecosystem. Before ConsenSys, she focused on fundraising, reorgs, operational efficiency, and DEI initiatives as the chief business and legal officer and CRO at Flipboard, Inc., and was a founding team member at Rhapsody International.
Cecily taught Digital Media Law at UC Hastings for twelve years and supports innovators in exceeding revenue, strategy, and talent optimization goals. She currently is the chair of the board for Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, a founding LP of How Women Invest, and maintains positions on advisory boards of several companies in the enterprise blockchain, consumer software, and mindfulness industries. She currently serves as the Co-Founding General Partner of Wisdom Ventures, an organization supporting a new generation of entrepreneurs dedicated to consciously harnessing the power of business to co-create a future of greater human connection and well-being.
33. Kathy Carter
Chief Technology Officer, PhotoShelter
Kathy Carter is the Chief Technology Officer at PhotoShelter. With over 20 years of experience, Kathy leads the engineering team in tackling the challenges of helping organizations manage their media with intuitive solution implementations and agile methodologies that increase productivity and improve ROI.
Prior to PhotoShelter, Kathy transformed the system infrastructure at ASG and led the development service strategy to meet the changing demands of the business. She worked in engineering leadership at JWPlayer where she founded JW Inspire, a women-in-tech initiative, still active today, that educates, mentors, and drives change in the industry. She also spanned a 12-year journey at Vonage as a key lead during their high-growth start-up phase, through company IPO, and into maturity; driving revenue growth to greater than $1B.
Kathy graduated from DeVry University with an undergraduate degree in telecommunications and went on to receive a master’s degree in engineering management and project management and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Most recently, she earned a certificate from MIT’s Sloan School of Management focused on AI.
34. Ling Ling Sun
Chief Technology Officer, Nebraska Public Media
Ling Ling Sun is the Chief Technology Officer of Nebraska Public Media. She leads a state network, television, and radio joint licensee that offers multi-platform communication services to the citizens of Nebraska, through over-the-air, on-demand, online services, and live streaming. She oversees PBS Diversity, Disaster Recovery and Maintenance Site, the backup site to the nationwide PBS Interconnection. Using a viable system model as a tool, Ling Ling leads Nebraska Public Media technology transformation. She writes regularly on LinkedIn to share her thoughts on media ecology and focus on the symbiotic relationship between content and media.
From 2013 to 2018, Ling Ling served as Chair of PBS ETAC (Engineering Technology Advisory Committee) and member of the PBS Interconnection Committee. She is currently serving as chair of the NAB BEIT (Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology) Conference Program Committee. She is also a member of the Technical Panel, an advisory body to the Nebraska Information Technology Commission. Ling Ling is the recipient of the 2019 Broadcasting & Cable Tech Leadership Awards.
36. Kelley Mullick
Vice President, Iceotope Technologies Ltd
Kelley Mullick is a Vice President at Iceotope Technologies Ltd. responsible for business development with key OEM/ODM partners and technology alliances across the IT industry to highlight why Precision Liquid Cooling is critical in the edge/cloud markets for data center sustainability and delivers better TCO to the end customer.
Before joining Iceotope, Dr. Mullick led Intel’s liquid cooling business strategy where, alongside a great team, she developed their warranty strategy for immersive cooling. Her career spans roughly 20 years of systems engineering expertise, business acumen, and technical leadership in building platforms for the sustainable data center of the future, cloud workload optimization, software-defined infrastructure, and new business models that deliver revenue.
In addition to her technical achievements, Dr. Mullick is a champion for women and URM in tech. She developed programs and training delivered to around 3,000 women to aid them in their career progression. She participates in the Open Compute Project technical committees to help drive requirements and standards for immersive cooling in the data center. Furthermore, she is currently serving a 2-year board term for the IISEM&S organization. Dr. Mullick holds a PhD in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the Ohio State University.
37. Rebecca Hofmann
President & CEO, Blockchain For Energy
Rebecca Hofmann is an accomplished finance and compliance leader with over 20 years of experience in the energy industry. Her past operational assignments have covered the development and improvement of processes over governance and compliance to support onshore and offshore operations. She is the founder and visionary behind the Blockchain for Energy consortium where she is the standing CEO and served as chairman of the board two years prior.
Hofmann’s many industry awards and accolades include the 2018 GRIT Award for Creativity and Innovation, the 2019 GRIT Award for her team’s work in emerging technologies, and the 2021 Global Supply Chain Leaders Blockchain CEO of the Year Award. She has also authored several thought leadership articles related to blockchain technology.
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38. Portia Hemphill
Founder & CEO, Scientists for Social Progress, Inc
A first-generation college graduate designated a Bill Gates Millennium Scholar and one of less than 100 experts with a joint doctorate, Dr. Portia Rae Hemphill is an executive who doubles as a trailblazing behavioral political scientist, public policy expert, author, researcher, community partnerships strategist, and statistician who has dedicated her life to improving the lives of people in distressed communities, from cradle-to-career and on their own terms.
Driven by her passion for linking academic expertise to practical impact, she founded Scientists for Social Progress, a national cross-collaborative consulting firm of scientists that develops sustainable solutions for service organizations to improve community impact. Dr. Hemphill has assisted numerous public and private senior executives in using evidence-based models to evolve the roles institutions play in creating innovative, responsive support systems for underrepresented groups. A courageous scholar-practitioner, she’s led numerous highly publicized presidential and secretarial initiatives that mobilize community resources to improve affordable housing, urban planning, workforce development, health, education, racial and gender equity, public safety, and economic empowerment. She’s pioneered national-level data efforts that advance pioneering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility industry models.
Developing collaborative strategic plans using cutting-edge data, technology, and participatory methods resulted in a significant demonstrable positive impact on 90+ million Americans under her tenure. She is thankful and humbled that her efforts have been recognized in esteem, including being named one of the Top 100 Social Scientists of the Century by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and a Worldwide Leader through Crisis by the University of Michigan- Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Dr. Hemphill encourages the belief that many of the most enduring and impactful scientific pursuits are made by scientists talented in their ability and forthright in their desire to elevate the human condition.
46. Sandra Previde
Executive Director of Information Technology, KP IT Telehealth
Sandra Previde is the Executive Director for Kaiser Permanente (KP) IT Telehealth. In this role, Sandra is responsible for technology strategy, consulting services, experience design, and program delivery. KP was a pioneer in using telehealth to promote convenience and access for patients and is an industry leader in this space. Sandra has played a critical role in leading teams to innovate in telehealth, to design experiences that focus on the needs of members, patients, and clinicians, and to deliver solutions in response to the critical need for “virtual care at scale” at the onset of the global pandemic in 2020.
Before her current role, Sandra led the development and execution of the overall technology strategy for the new KP Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM), delivering solutions that positioned the school as one of the most innovative and integrated medical education institutions in the world. Under her leadership, KPSOM received Stevie Awards from the American Business Awards® for excellence achievement related to its digital presence.
Sandra has more than 20 years of experience in the health care, biotechnology, and high-tech industries, having started her career at Hewlett Packard and later joined Amgen. In these roles, she led global teams responsible for the delivery of technologies and products spanning the overall technology lifecycle, from ideation to development to operations. Sandra has an undergraduate degree in computer science, an MBA, and a master’s degree in the science of project management. In addition, she was an instructor at the University of California, San Diego Extension for 7 years, where she developed and delivered courses in the fields of business and project management.
47. Pat Taylor
Executive Director of IT Informatics, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Pat Taylor is an Executive Director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's Enterprise Architecture team. Pat served in information technology at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama for several years holding leadership positions in claims adjudication processors, database technologies, and data warehousing. DM Review awarded her team a World Class Solution Award for the strength of user adoption of the data warehouse.
When joining BCBSA, Pat brought a depth of plan knowledge to the association. She has the ability to work across the BCBS system to deliver new capabilities making use of the BCBSA’s national data warehouse, a value-based programs delivery platform, and a master member identifier. A case study of BCBSA’s member-matching approach was published by the Sequoia Project. She is currently BCBSA's architecture lead for several data strategy, interoperability, and government market initiatives. She is co-author of the CARIN IG for Blue Button®, the HL7 FHIR Implementation Guide that meets CMS requirements to provide claims and encounter data directed by CMS’s Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule on patient access to health data.
Pat was named a 2023 Top 50 Data & Analytics Professional Award winner by OnConferences. Voters selected leaders that they felt demonstrated a good mix of success and positive impact on their organization and/or previous organizations, made strong contributions through thought leadership, have been innovative, and have exhibited great leadership. She is a frequent speaker on various analytical topics at national events and has presented data warehousing concepts at international forums. Pat earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Nebraska - Kearney and an MBA from the University of Alabama.
50. Casee Lemons
Senior Environmental Database Administrator, Tetra Tech
Casee Lemons is currently the Senior Environmental Database Administrator at Cornerstone Engineering, a Tetra Tech, Inc. company, and is leading a team that maintains client privacy while holding data standardization in the highest regard. Lemons took this position in March 2023.
Before joining Tetra Tech, Lemons was director of geoscience and then chief data officer for Sourcenergy, Inc. In the year 2020, she was granted the global award as a Top Energy Innovator by Hart Energy. She has been a guest speaker for the Produced Water Society Summer Seminar Series. This is in recognition of her groundbreaking work as principal investigator of the Injection and Production Analytics group at the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. In 2015, she was granted the Rising Star Award by the Houston Geological Society. Prior to this, she was granted awards in the years 2013, 2014, and 2015 from the Baker Hughes Energize Recognition Program. In 2011, she received 2 research fellowships; one as a Minority Research Fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and one at the National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes. Lemons was awarded membership to the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Minority Achievement Program and received numerous awards for excellence at the university.
Lemons is the primary author of two US patents, US Patent 11,333,792: “Systems and method for assessing seismic risk” awarded in May 2022, and US Patent 10,810,688: “Determination of refined oilfield water disposal locations based on legal notifications,” in October 2020. Lemons earned her undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and her master’s degree in geology at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
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