Telle Whitney
Encyclopedia
Telle Whitney is currently CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
. A computer scientist by training, she cofounded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
with Anita Borg
in 1994 and joined the Anita Borg Institute in 2002.
in 1978 and a Ph.D. in computer science from Caltech in 1985. She moved to Silicon Valley to work in the chip industry, creating chips and the software that supports them. She held senior technical management positions at Actel
and Malleable Technologies
, as well as senior roles at several startup technology companies.
Under Whitney’s leadership, the Anita Borg Institute has expanded its size and programs. Since 2003, six Grace Hopper Celebrations have been held, and in 2010, the first Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing India was organized. In addition to the Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Awards, a new awards program has been established to recognize companies that support technical women, the Anita Borg Top Company for Technical Women Award.
CEOSE and CISE advisory committees, and she currently serves on the advisory boards of Caltech’s Information Science and Technology (IST), California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Illuminate Ventures. She is also a member of the Forbes Executive Women’s Board.
Telle Whitney received the ACM Distinguished Service Award in 2009.
She received the Marie Pistilli Women in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Achievement Award in 2009.
In 2009, she was named one of San Jose Business Journal’s Top 100 Women of Influence.
In 2011, she was named to Fast Company
’s Most Influential Women in Technology list.
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology is a nonprofit organization founded by computer scientist Anita Borg. The institute’s primary aim is to recruit, retain, and advance women in technology. The institute’s most prominent program is the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing...
. A computer scientist by training, she cofounded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. It is the world’s largest gathering of women in computing. The Grace Hopper Celebration is presented by the Anita Borg Institute...
with Anita Borg
Anita Borg
Anita Borg was an American computer scientist. She founded the Institute for Women and Technology and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. She was born Anita Borg Naffz in Chicago, Illinois...
in 1994 and joined the Anita Borg Institute in 2002.
Education and Early Career
Telle Whitney received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1978 and a Ph.D. in computer science from Caltech in 1985. She moved to Silicon Valley to work in the chip industry, creating chips and the software that supports them. She held senior technical management positions at Actel
Actel
Actel Corporation is a manufacturer of nonvolatile, low-power FPGAs, mixed-signal FPGAs, and programmable logic solutions...
and Malleable Technologies
PMC-Sierra
PMC-Sierra is a fabless semiconductor company which develops and sells devices into the communications, storage, printing, and embedded computing marketplaces.-Corporate history:...
, as well as senior roles at several startup technology companies.
Founding of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
In 1994, Telle Whitney and Anita Borg founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference, which is the largest gathering of women in computing in the world. With simply the initial idea of creating a conference by and for women computer scientists, Borg and Whitney met over dinner, with a blank sheet of paper, having no idea how to start a conference, and started to plan out their vision. The first Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing was held in Washington, D.C., in June 1994, and brought together 500 technical women. Telle Whitney described walking into the conference and being surrounded by 500 technical women as “life-changing.”Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
In 2002, Whitney became President and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, then known as the Institute for Women and Technology. This was originally intended to be a temporary situation, while the organization searched for a replacement for Anita Borg, but ended up being a turning into a permanent role for Whitney.Under Whitney’s leadership, the Anita Borg Institute has expanded its size and programs. Since 2003, six Grace Hopper Celebrations have been held, and in 2010, the first Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing India was organized. In addition to the Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Awards, a new awards program has been established to recognize companies that support technical women, the Anita Borg Top Company for Technical Women Award.
Other Activities
In 2004, Telle Whitney co-founded the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) with Lucy Sanders and Robert Schnabel. She has served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and is currently co-chair of the ACM Distinguished member committee. She was a member of the National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
CEOSE and CISE advisory committees, and she currently serves on the advisory boards of Caltech’s Information Science and Technology (IST), California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Illuminate Ventures. She is also a member of the Forbes Executive Women’s Board.
Awards
In 2008, Telle Whitney received the Women’s Venture Fund Highest Leaf Award.Telle Whitney received the ACM Distinguished Service Award in 2009.
She received the Marie Pistilli Women in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Achievement Award in 2009.
In 2009, she was named one of San Jose Business Journal’s Top 100 Women of Influence.
In 2011, she was named to Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
’s Most Influential Women in Technology list.
See also
- Anita Borg Institute for Women and TechnologyAnita Borg Institute for Women and TechnologyThe Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology is a nonprofit organization founded by computer scientist Anita Borg. The institute’s primary aim is to recruit, retain, and advance women in technology. The institute’s most prominent program is the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing...
- Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in ComputingGrace Hopper Celebration of Women in ComputingThe Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. It is the world’s largest gathering of women in computing. The Grace Hopper Celebration is presented by the Anita Borg Institute...