A year ago, on June 24th, 2006, the Engineering world lost one of its great leaders – Denice Denton.
The first time I met Denice was at a Senior Women’s Summit at the Grace Hopper Conference in 2000. Denice had a magnetic and forceful personality, although she was surprisingly soft spoken and was always inclusive of different voices, ideas, perspectives and people.
Denice was someone I admired and whose values and methods for change were an inspiration for much of the work we do at the Institute. The last time I heard her speak, she spoke on the topic of diversity in leadership the summer she moved to the bay area, when we hosted her talk to a sold out crowd.
The Anita Borg Institute is pleased to honor Denice with an award in her name that honors a man or woman leader who has had a positive impact on the lives of women, something that Denice stood for. The Denice Denton Award.
Today, on the anniversary of her death, many organizations, including ABI, proudly feature a tribute to Denice and her accomplishments. It is my hope that the impact of this new award reminds us of what is possible if you set your mind to it, as Denice did every day of her life.