Kerrie Holley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kerrie Holley
Born	Kerrie Lamont Holley Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Kenwood Academy B.A. DePaul University Juris Doctor DePaul University
Occupation	Tech Executive Software engineer Author Inventor
Years active	1976–present
Organization	Google UHG Optum Cisco IBM

Kerrie Lamont Holley (born 1954) is an American software engineer, author, and technology leader. He is famous for his important work in something called "service-oriented architecture" (SOA). This is a way to design computer systems so they can work together easily. He also helped improve how IBM creates software.

Kerrie Holley's Early Life

Kerrie Holley grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His grandmother raised him on the city's south side.

When he was seven years old, in 1961, he joined the Sue Duncan Children's Center. At the center, he received extra help with math and science. He did so well that he later became a tutor there himself. He even tutored famous people like Arne Duncan, who became the U.S. Secretary of Education, and actor Michael Clarke Duncan.

Kerrie Holley's Education

Kerrie Holley studied at DePaul University. He earned a degree in mathematics in 1976. Later, in 1982, he also got a law degree from the same university. In 2016, DePaul University gave him an honorary doctorate degree.

Kerrie Holley's Career Highlights

Kerrie Holley has had a very successful career in technology.

Working at IBM

In 2000, Kerrie Holley became the first African American Distinguished Engineer at IBM. This is a very high honor for engineers at the company. In 2006, he was named an IBM Fellow, which is an even higher technical achievement.

He was also part of the Naval Studies Board. This group helps advise the U.S. Navy on important topics.

Moving to Cisco and Optum

In 2016, Kerrie joined Cisco, another big technology company. He became the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for their Software Platform Group.

Then, in 2017, he moved to United Health Group (UHG) Optum. There, he became their first Technology Fellow and Senior Vice President. His work focused on using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and natural language processing to improve healthcare. He also worked with graph databases, the Internet of Things (IoT), genomics, and ambient computing.

National Recognition

In 2023, Kerrie Holley was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). This is one of the highest honors for engineers in the United States. He was recognized for his work on service-oriented architectures, which help global businesses adapt quickly to market changes.

He is also set to be inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2025. This honor is for his inventions related to Service-Oriented Architecture.

Awards and Honors for Kerrie Holley

Kerrie Holley's Publications and Inventions

Kerrie Holley has written several books and holds many patents.

Books by Kerrie Holley

He has shared his knowledge by writing books about technology.

• In 2010, he published "100 SOA Questions: Asked and Answered." This book helps companies understand how to use service-oriented architecture.
• In 2012, he co-authored "Is Your Company Ready for Cloud" with Pam Isom. This book talked about how important cloud computing was becoming for businesses.
• In 2021, Holley wrote "AI First Healthcare." This book explored how artificial intelligence can be used in healthcare.
• His most recent book, "LLMs and Generative AI for Healthcare: The Next Frontier," was published in 2024. It shows his continued interest in new technologies and how they can change healthcare.

Kerrie Holley's Patents

Kerrie Holley holds several patents for his inventions. These patents cover a wide range of topics. For example, some patents are about how to keep computer systems working even if parts fail. Others are about how to find lost mobile devices.

He also co-owns patents for the first SOA development method and the first SOA maturity model in the industry. The maturity model helps companies figure out how far along they are in using Service-Oriented Architecture. It also gives them a plan to build a system based on SOA.

Selected Publications

• Holley, Kerrie, and Manish Mathur, "LLMs and Generative AI for Healthcare, The Next Frontier." O'Reilly Media, 2024.
• Holley, Kerrie, and Siupo Becker. AI First Healthcare. O'Reilly Media, 2021.
• Holley, Kerrie, and Ali Arsanjani. 100 SOA Questions: Asked and Answered. Pearson Education, 2010.

Articles, a selection:

• State of Healthcare Technology (2021)
• Channabasavaiah, Kishore, Kerrie Holley, and Edward Tuggle. "Migrating to a service-oriented architecture." IBM DeveloperWorks 16 (2003).
• Crawford, C. H., Bate, G. P., Cherbakov, L., Holley, K., & Tsocanos, C. (2005). Toward an on-demand service-oriented architecture." IBM Systems Journal, 44(1), 81-107.
• Arsanjani, A., Ghosh, S., Allam, A., Abdollah, T., Ganapathy, S., & Holley, K. (2008). "SOMA: A method for developing service-oriented solutions." IBM systems Journal, 47(3), 377–396.