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Election 2002
CONTACT: Virginia Gold
IMMEDIATE
New President Maria Klawe Emphasizes Recruiting, Retaining Young IT Professionals New York, June 10, 2002 -- ACM Vice President Maria Klawe has been elected president of ACM for a two-year term beginning July 1. Dean of science and professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Klawe strongly supports ACM's efforts to recruit and retain young IT professionals as members. She singled out the launch of a new publication and leveraging the success of ACM's programming contest as key elements in this strategy. Dr. Klawe co-founded and chairs the board of Silicon Chalk, a startup company that is developing a peer-to-peer wireless application to enhance in-class learning, collaboration and communications among students and instructors with laptop computers. Also elected to two-year terms were Vice President David S. Wise, computer science professor at Indiana University, and Secretary/Treasurer Telle Whitney, a consultant specializing in chip design and software engineering product development. Members-at-Large, elected to four-years terms, were Roscoe C. Giles, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Boston University, and Gabriel M. Silberman, program director of the Center for Advanced Studies at IBM. Dr. Klawe said she would continue to grow and improve the Digital Library and ACM Portal, and increase the participation of women and minorities in IT careers. She acknowledged the huge impact that information technology is having on society, and added that "ACM's leadership as the preeminent scientific and professional organization for information technology is critically important." As president, she said she would draw on the talents and resources of the ACM SIGs in planning the next ACM general conference. She cited her extensive periods both inside and outside the U.S. in helping her gain a useful perspective on ACM's global roles. She joined the University of British Columbia as head of the computer science department in 1988, after eight years with IBM Research in California. Professor Wise, former ACM Secretary-Treasurer, has served as a member of Council, the Publications Board, the U.S. ACM Executive Committee, and ACM's Standards Committee, and as vice chair of the SIG Board. He noted ACM's challenge to develop the ACM Portal and Digital Library, and to assure their migration to future technologies at prices that readers and libraries can afford, while maintaining classroom use, interlibrary loan, and topical subscriptions. He said that computer professionals in particular need new packages and new coverage. Telle Whitney has worked in Silicon Valley for 20 years, the last eight as an executive. She is currently interim president of the Institute for Women and Technology. Trained as a technologist, she has roots in the academic community, which she said equips her to build bridges between these two communities. During her professional career, she has been involved in programs aimed at increasing the presence of women in the computer field, and she intends to emphasize further expansion of ACM's Career Resource Centre during her term. Member-at-Large Roscoe C. Giles, who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University in theoretical physics, is committed to prototyping and building computational and educational infrastructure that enable broad participation of scholars, students and communities in computing. As executive director of the new Institute for African-American eCulture, he is creating new environments that encourage participatory design, creation, and development of information systems. He currently chairs the SC2002 Conference on High Performance Networking and Computing co-sponsored by ACM. Member-at-Large Gabriel M. Silberman joined IBM's Watson Research Center in 1990, and in 1999, was elected to the IBM Academy of Technology, recognizing him as one of IBM's top technical leaders. He is responsible for IBM's sponsorship of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, which has nearly tripled in size since IBM became sponsor in 1997. He said his first-hand look at the ever-increasing caliber of young talent has led him to emphasize the industry's duty to mentor and involve these people in activities where they can achieve their goals. About ACM The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a major force in advancing the skills of information technology professionals and students. ACM serves its global membership by delivering cutting edge technical information and transferring ideas from theory to practice. ACM hosts the computing industry's leading Portal to Computing Literature. With its world-class journals and magazines, dynamic special interest groups, numerous conferences, workshops and electronic forums, ACM is a primary resource for the information technology field. For additional information about ACM, visit our web site at www.acm.org. |
