Panel: Women in Technology
Topic: Women and Technology: Riding the Crest of Innovation
This panel will cover how women have used their intelligence and creativity to develop new ventures and opportunities in business. How can women thrive in a male-dominated industry, and what are the ramifications as well as takeaways for women interested in becoming leaders of the digital economy? The roles of mentor in the development of future business leaders in the technology industry will be discussed along with how women can embrace technology to create innovative solutions.
JANE MERRIAM : Panelist
Alliance Sales Manager, IBM
Ms. Merriam is an Alliance Sales Manager for IBM's Americas Software Group.
In this capacity, she works directly with IBM's Global System Integrator,
Capgemini, assisting with software sales, education and implementation
throughout the United States . This organization is part of IBM's Channels
Organization, a route to market that involves all major consulting firms as
well as other software vendors.
Ms Merriam received her MBA from the Smith Business School majoring in
Information Systems. Upon graduations, she joined a small, regional
consulting firm in Arlington, VA, Mitchell Systems Corporation (MSC). Her
13 years at MSC allowed her to experience many different roles as the firm
grew from 6 people to over 200. After leaving MSC, Ms. Merriam made a
strategic move from consulting to sales. She worked for Information
Builders, Inc. and Attachmate Corporation. She joined IBM in 1999.
KATHLEEN COLOMBO : Panelist
Director, Systems Engineering, Cisco Systems
Kathleen Colombo is the Director, Systems Engineering, for Cisco Systems Inc. As Director, Ms. Colombo has responsibility for Cisco’s Systems Engineering and support team for the East Coast. In her role as Director, she is responsible for Customer Satisfaction, Employee Training, and Technical Support for her staff of over 250 Engineers. She has achieved the Cisco Certified Internetworking Engineer (CCIE) and continues to Re-certify. Here business responsibilities include support for over one Billion dollars of Business to Cisco.
Prior to joining Cisco Systems, Inc. in 1996, Ms. Colombo worked in a variety of Management and Leadership positions with DuPont. She received a BS from the University of Virginia and is currently a member of the Cisco Leadership Program and actively supports Philadelphia-area Educational Technology initiatives.
CYNTHIA GILMER : Panelist
President and Founder, Opus Plus
Ms. Gilmer is the president and founder of Opus Plus, a consulting firm that helps companies develop and deliver more successful products and services. She has over 20 years of product development experience in the areas of product management, systems engineering and product implementation.
Prior to founding Opus Plus, Ms. Gilmer held senior product development positions for iDirect, a satellite equipment manufacturer and global ISP, and BroadBand Office, a CLEC startup. She founded Broadband Inc., a consultancy that provided services to cable and wireless providers both in the US and abroad. In 1996 she was a co-founder of Community Networks, Incorporated (CNI), a subsidiary of BTG, Inc., and a pioneer in the broadband over cable TV service market.
Ms. Gilmer is Chair of the of NVTC’s EBN. She is also founding member and co-president of the local chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA).
She holds a BS degree in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and an MS in Computer Science from Virginia Tech.
CHERYL CAMPBELL : Panelist
President of IT, Global Secure
Ms. Campbell has twenty-one years of experience in the operational and financial
oversight of distributed information technology systems, with sixteen of those
in emerging technologies. Her ability to assess risk, quantify costs, and manage
people for complex IT programs has been instrumental to her success. She is
currently responsible for ITGS financial oversight, order and customer
management, manufacturing reseller relations, and SecurePlay deliveries.
Previously, she was TRW, Inc. Accounts Manager for the U.S. Treasury
Communications System (TCS) ($150M sales annum) for secured Frame Relay/ATM,
Internet services, and VPN communications. Ms. Campbell managed sales for Wide
Area Network and Managed Internet services, including web hosting, messaging,
VPNs/Extranets, application gateways, DMZ dedicated hosting, e-commerce
services, security assessments, and PKI technology integration. In 1998, she was
the Engineering Manager for all Internet Services, for the U.S. Treasury
Communications System, and modernized the Treasury Internet architecture for its
300,000+ users. As Free Flight Phase One Chief Scientist for Air Traffic Control
Systems at the FAA, Ms. Campbell transitioned five air traffic control programs
into this new Cabinet-level Agency. She was also FAA Information Technology
Manager for the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), a $40M effort for
ARTCC/TRACON strategic flow control. In 1994-6, Ms. Campbell was Engineering
Manager for a Government INFOSEC program with $25M annual sales for trusted
collaborative mail and PC/video conferencing at 60 sites. Prior to that, Ms.
Campbell, TRW Advanced Systems Business Manager, was responsible for capturing
over $20M+ in awards for signals processing programs. Her business unit led the
construction of systems ranging from optical processors, to supercomputers, to
distributed embedded processors with advanced collection techniques, and to
modern clustered servers. Her career started at General Electric in 1982 as a
designer of imaging systems for robotic automotive assembly applications. Ms.
Campbell holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude,
from Clemson University. She obtained her Masters Degree, from the University of
Virginia in Electrical Engineering. In addition, she holds two patents and three
pending patents all for innovative security solutions.
SANDRA K. RICHARDSON : Panelist
Co-Founder & COO, Metier
Sandra Richardson is Métier’s Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. Richardson is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company, including client services, sales and marketing, corporate development and financial management. Her experience has contributed to the rapid growth of Métier, which is one of the fastest growing companies in the country. Métier has increased revenues by nearly 400 percent over the past four years and tripled in staff size.
Richardson’s background includes a blend of execution and developing strategies for growth. Prior to founding Métier, Richardson held executive level positions at Cambridge Technology Partners, Piper & Marbury, LLP; and Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP. Ms. Richardson was a key part of executive management teams that executed rapid growth strategies via acquisition.
Since founding Métier, Richardson has been extremely active in the Washington, D.C. technology arena. Richardson was a founding member of the Washington, D.C. Technology Council and served on the Board of Directors for several years as chair of the membership committee. Richardson was the recipient of the Women in Technology (WIT) 2004 Entrepreneur Leadership Award for her success building Métier and her commitment to the local technology community. She frequently speaks for local universities and industry groups and makes it a priority to reach out to other entrepreneurs in the Washington, D.C. technology community.
Additionally, she has been profiled as a ‘Top Techie to Watch’; nominated for the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for Working Woman magazine; selected for ‘Top 10 Great Bosses’ for the DC region by a local technology publication and is a graduate of MindShare. Richardson has a Bachelors of Arts degree in International Relations from New England College and studied and lived abroad for many years in support of her degree
ANTONIA JOHNSON : Panelist
Senior Software Engineer, Titan Systems
Antonia Johnson is currently Senior Software Engineer for Titan Systems and works on a DHS government contract in Washington, DC. She has been with Titan Systems for five years. She loves her work as a Software Engineer and enjoys her work in Software testing. She started her career at American Management Systems as a Business Analyst. She has worked at a number of other well-known companies that include MCI, Bell Atlantic, and the House of Representatives.
Antonia Johnson earned her BS in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1995. Throughout her college years, she had developed her technological skills by interning with the USDA Forest Service Information and Technology. While at Titan, she attended the University of Maryland, University College in pursuit of M. S. degree in Electronic Commerce and graduated in May 2004. While at Titan, I earned my certification of software testing through Quality Assurance Institute.
Antonia Johnson has lived a significant part of her life in the Prince George’s County. She has been married for 3 years to Mike Johnson. They are expecting their first child very soon. She looks forward to continuing to work in the Information Technology arena while balancing the life of a new mom.
DR. JUDY K. FRELS : Moderator
Executive Education Senior Fellow, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Judy K. Frels is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and Executive Education Senior Fellow at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on the marketing of high-technology products, competitive strategies in network markets, consumers’ ability to cope with technology, and consumer switching costs. Her work has been published in the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, IBM Technical Reports, as well as the Proceedings of the Association for Consumer Research. Prior to obtaining her Ph.D., Judy spent ten years developing operating systems and compilers, as well as managing and marketing other software and hardware products both at IBM and at smaller firms. Professor Frels teaches “Marketing of High Technology Products” and “Marketing Strategy” in the Smith School M.B.A. program and in Executive Education programs. In 2002/2003 academic year she was a “Top 15%” teacher at R. H. Smith and was a finalist for the Krowe/Legg Mason teaching award at University of Maryland. She teaches executive education programs for organizations such as Nextel, Northrop Grumman, Annapolis Research, Inc., Hughes Network Systems, Black and Decker, and the U.S. Agency for International Development in Cairo. She has consulted with firms including SAIC, MicroStrategy, Bay Networks, Imation, Input-Output, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
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