Janet Emerson Bashen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janet Emerson Bashen
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| Born |
Janet Rita Emerson
February 12, 1957 |
| Alma mater | University of Houston (BS), Tulane Law School (MJ-LEL), The University of Southern California (Doctorate) |
| Occupation | Software inventor, businesswoman |
| Employer | Bashen Corporation |
| Known for | First African American woman to patent a web-based EEO software (Nalikah, formerly known as LinkLine) |
| Spouse(s) |
Ruffus Williams
(m. 1979; div. 1988)George Steven Bashen
(m. 1988) |
| Children | 2 |
Janet Rita Bashen was born on February 12, 1957. She is an American entrepreneur, a business advisor, and a software inventor. Janet Bashen is famous for creating and patenting a special computer program called Nalikah (it used to be called LinkLine). This program helps with investigations about equal employment opportunity (EEO) and keeps track of related claims. She is known as the first African American woman to get a patent for a web-based software.
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Early Life and Family
Janet Rita Emerson was born in Mansfield, Ohio. Her father, James Lucker Emerson Sr., worked as a garbage collector, and her mother, Ola Mae Emerson, was a nurse.
When Janet was young, her family moved to Huntsville, Alabama. She went to a school that was only for Black students until she was in fifth grade. After that, she went to Fifth Avenue School, which used to be a segregated school in Huntsville.
In 1988, Janet married George Steven Bashen. They have two children together.
Education and Career Path
Janet Bashen first attended Alabama A&M University, which is a Historically Black College and University. Later, she went to the University of Houston and earned a degree in Legal Studies and Government. She also studied at Harvard University and graduated from Tulane Law School. More recently, Dr. Bashen received a doctorate from USC's Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
After finishing her studies at the University of Houston, Janet worked for an insurance company. Her job was to handle claims related to Equal Employment Opportunities. This experience showed her how important it was for everyone to have fair chances at work.
In 1994, Janet decided to start her own company, Bashen Corporation. She got a $5,000 loan from her mother to help her begin. Her company focused on investigating claims of discrimination made by employees.
Inventing New Software
As her company grew, Janet realized there was a big problem. It was hard to store and find all the information related to the discrimination claims. She needed a better way to organize everything.
So, Janet teamed up with her cousin, Donnie Moore, who was a computer science expert from Tufts University. Together, they started creating a new computer program. This was the beginning of the software known today as Nalikah.
In January 2006, Janet Bashen received a patent for her software (Patent No. 6,985,922, B1). This was a huge achievement because it made her the first African American woman to get a patent for a web-based software program. This invention helped make the process of handling EEO claims much more organized and efficient.
Speaking to Congress
In May 2000, Janet Bashen spoke to the U.S. House of Representatives. She explained that investigations into civil rights and employee misconduct should be handled differently from other types of reports, especially regarding the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
See also
In Spanish: Janet Emerson Bashen para niños
