HOUSTON, April 6, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The InterContinental Houston location will be the home of the 8th Annual Gala dinner and reception honoring 24 Academic and Business women in Houston with the Leadership in Technology Award issued by the Houston Chapter of the national Association for Women in Computing (AWC: www.awchouston.org). AWC has many reasons to celebrate; over 150 business and academic women throughout Houston have been honored by this prestigious award.
This year's winners -- twenty-four women from sixteen companies -- are announced today. The Gala dinner and reception takes place at the InterContinental Houston Hotel on June 10, 2006. Hewlett-Packard, Shell, NetIQ, BMC, Duke Energy, Lyondell Chemical, Ajilon Consulting, Nordstrom, Secure Living, Software Architects, SYSCO and Whitaker Consulting are generous sponsors of this year's event. Dana Tyson of radio station Sunny 99.1 will be the Master of Ceremonies.
BreaktheGlassCeiling.com reports that women hold 11.1% of board seats in the Fortune 500 companies. 86% of Fortune 500 companies have at least one or more women directors; 14% have no women on their boards. 188 companies in the Fortune 500 have 2 or more women directors; and 34 companies have three or more women directors.
"We are proud of the women in our Houston community who continue to prove that women are successful in the top echelons of corporate America. Our honorees are flying above the radar and are wonderful examples to the next generation of aspiring women business leaders. The 2006 honorees are extensively involved in the Houston community and superior examples of our future leaders. They set a high standard for women leaders," states Emily McAnally, 2006 Gala Co-Chair.
In 2005, Houston Gala guests, including business and political leaders, celebrated to a sold out crowd of more than 500 supporters of women in technology. This year more than 500 people are anticipated. Proceeds support the Kathi Bowles Scholarship for college students pursuing degrees in technology at Houston area universities.
"We are delighted by the increase of interest and support in the annual AWC Gala. We are grateful for our sponsors who allow us to give scholarships to high school and college students," added Emily.
Below are listed the 2006 Honorees of the Leadership in Technology Award and their employers:
Reenie Askew -- Regional Development and Support Manager at SYSCO Corporation
Lisa Baker -- Director, Business Volume Marketing at HP
Donna Benefield -- Vice President Wholesale Information Technology at Reliant Energy
Katherine Bennett Ensor -- Professor and Chair at Rice University
Bridgette Chambers -- Vice President, Enterprise Business Solutions at COMSYS
Deb Davis -- Partner and Healthcare Practice Area Leader at IBM
Xiaolian Gao -- Professor at University of Houston
Caroline Gormley -- Director and Texas Unit Delivery Manager at Sogeti USA LLC
Janet Hall -- CIO at M-I Swaco
Shachella James -- Director Software Development at LOGIX Communications
Lori Mingo -- Partner at IBM
Jennifer Mockaitis -- Americas Site Services Manager and Global Data Center Mgr. at Shell Oil Company
Christine Noble -- Owner at Marnoble Computer Sales and Service Inc.
Joyce O Donnell -- EPW Information Management Services Manager at Shell Oil Company
Tessy Phillips -- Senior Account Leader at Halliburton Digital Consulting and Solutions
Mary Platt -- Data Services Supervisor at Devon Energy Corporation
Lauren Reid -- Manager, Supply Chain Strategy and Development at HP
Naila Seif -- Director, Strategic Alliances and Business Development at HP
Margo Sharapova -- Chief Information Officer at GE Energy, Aeroderivatives Division
Jennifer Skinner-Gray -- Manager Worldwide DSP Partner Network at Texas Instruments
Beverly Stafford -- Director, Global Customer Support at Halliburton Digital Consulting and Solutions
Reesa Thorne -- Global IT Change and Integration Manager at Shell Oil Company
Madeline Villarreal -- Director U.S. Channel Replenishment Operations at HP
Melinda Yates Costin -- VP Epic Service Line at IBM
Gala tickets are $80 and can be purchased by the public at http://www.awchouston.org.
About the Association for Women in Computing (AWC); The National organization was formed in 1978 to encourage women in technology-related careers. The Houston chapter is among the largest and oldest in the country.
For additional information, please contact Tracy Rummel, 713.294.9888 or tracy@brandsoup.com.
The Association for Women in Computing logo is available at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=975