Dr. Telle Whitney is a well-known expert on diversity and gender equity in the technology industry. After earning her computer science Ph.D. from Caltech, she held senior technical management positions at semiconductor companies, including Actel and Malleable Technologies.
In 1994, Dr. Whitney and her good friend Dr. Anita Borg co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC), an event which has grown to become the world’s largest annual gathering of women technologists.
In 2002, Dr. Whitney assumed leadership of the Institute for Women in Technology, which was renamed the Anita Borg Institute (ABI) in honor of her late friend and GHC cofounder in 2003.
Over the course of her leadership, Dr. Whitney led ABI’s substantial growth in size and impact. She grew the organization’s annual revenue from $1M to more than $22M during her 15-year tenure. Under Dr. Whitney’s tenure, ABI developed high-impact programs, which include Top Companies for Women Technologists — the only national program recognizing companies committed to building workplaces where women technologists can thrive — and a growing network of local communities of women technologists and their allies. The organization also won the endorsement and support of leading corporate partners across multiple industries.
For decades, Dr. Whitney has championed the business value of diversity and the importance of engaging the full talent of the workforce to drive innovation. She has received numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Claremont College, and the ACM Distinguished Service Award; she was named one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology.