Telle Whitney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Telle Whitney
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Whitney in 2017
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| Born | June 5, 1956 |
| Alma mater | BS in Computer Science from the University of Utah, Ph.D. in Computer Science from Caltech |
| Occupation | Past CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology 2002-2017 |
Telle Whitney is a well-known computer scientist. She used to be the leader of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. She also helped start a big event called the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in 1994.
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Early Life and Education
Telle Whitney was born on June 5, 1956, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She moved around a bit when she was younger. She lived in Southern California and then moved back to Utah as a teenager.
She studied computer science at the University of Utah, earning her first degree in 1978. Later, she earned her Ph.D. in computer science from Caltech in 1985. After finishing her studies, she moved to Silicon Valley. This area is famous for its technology companies. There, she worked on creating computer chips and the software that makes them work.
Starting the Grace Hopper Celebration
In 1994, Telle Whitney and another computer scientist named Anita Borg had an idea. They wanted to create a special conference for women in computing. They met and planned the whole event from scratch.
The first Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing was held in Washington, D.C., in June 1994. About 500 technical women attended. Telle Whitney said that being surrounded by so many women in her field was "life-changing." This event has grown to be the largest gathering of women in computing worldwide.
Leading the Anita Borg Institute
In 2002, Telle Whitney became the President and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute. This organization helps women in technology. She originally planned to stay for a short time. However, she ended up leading the institute for many years.
Under her leadership, the Anita Borg Institute grew a lot. They started new programs and held more Grace Hopper Celebrations. In 2010, the first Grace Hopper Celebration was held in India. The institute also created new awards. These awards recognize companies that support women in technology. Telle Whitney retired from her role in 2017.
Other Important Work
Telle Whitney has also been involved in many other projects. In 2004, she helped start the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). This group works to increase the number of women in technology. She has also served on important committees for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). She advises several technology and science organizations.
Awards and Recognition
Telle Whitney has received many awards for her work.
- 2008: She received the Women’s Venture Fund Highest Leaf Award.
- 2009: She was given the ACM Distinguished Service Award.
- 2009: She received the Marie Pistilli Women in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Achievement Award.
- 2009: She was named one of San Jose Business Journal’s Top 100 Women of Influence.
- 2011: Fast Company magazine named her one of the Most Influential Women in Technology.
- October 2017: She received a lifetime achievement award at the Grace Hopper Celebration.
- 2019: She received IEEE Honorary Membership.
- 2022: She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her work in computer chip design. It was also for helping more women join computing careers.
- 2024: She was inducted into the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation and VEX Robotics STEM Hall of Fame. This recognized her pioneering work in computer science. It also honored her contributions to the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.
