UK ITS women recognize STEM trailblazers during Women’s History Month
What began as a movement to recognize women’s rights, propel the suffrage movement and protest food shortages, poverty and World War I, International Women’s Day has grown over the past century. Recognized by the United Nations in 1975, the day falls during Women’s History Month.
University of Kentucky Information Technology Services (UK ITS) recognizes the groundbreaking achievements and discoveries by women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. We asked women at UK ITS about women in technology who inspire them.
Data Management and Quality Manager, Performance Analytics Center of Excellence, Rosalynn King
“Not surprisingly, I grew up not having anyone in the STEM field to look up to. I’m sure they were there, but I had little to no proximity or awareness of the existence or contributions of anyone who looked like me. To my knowledge, there was no representation around me of Black female computer scientists or engineers, although I know they were there,” King said. “After 30 years in the IT field, when I think of the person who inspired me, Cathy Fieseler (a Database Administrator at IBM) comes to mind. She has absolutely no idea how much she inspired me. I was inspired by her intelligence, her quiet confidence, her competence and her humility. She knew I was “green,” right out of college, yet she always took time to answer my questions and give me guidance.”
EHR Ambulatory Team Manager, Casie Stevens
“Judith Faulkner is a trailblazer for women in technology. She is one of the few women to lead a major tech company as the founder and CEO of Epic Systems, a leading company in healthcare informatics software,” Stevens said. “Faulkner's visionary leadership has not only transformed the healthcare sector but also paved the way for other women to break into technology roles, demonstrating that innovation, leadership, and success in IT are not limited by gender.”
UK ITS Informaticist, Amanda Gressle, RN, BSN
“The first woman in tech I think of is Rebecca Love ! She is a nurse like me who has a passion for innovation. She is the founder and president of Society of Nurse Scientist, Innovators, Entrepreneurs & Leaders (SONSIEL),” Gressle said. “In March at HIMSS25, she hosted NurseHack4Health Tech-A-Thon and together with interdisciplinary teams made up of nurses, physicians, engineers, programmers, business leaders and more, tackled some of the biggest challenges in healthcare, pitching groundbreaking solutions that redefine patient care, streamline processes and enhance communication. I can’t wait to see where nursing-led innovation takes us.”
UK ITS Communication Specialist, Tamana Rahimi
"When I began my path in technology, I didn’t have a specific woman in the field who inspired me. However, that changed when I joined the ITS Marketing team as a Marketing and Promotion Assistant and had the opportunity to work alongside Marci Adams, Corinne Boyer and Jessica McClure. Their passion, dedication, and kindness have left a lasting impact on me," Rahimi said. "Now, as a communication specialist, I continue to be inspired by their leadership, creativity and unwavering support. They have shown me what it means to be a strong woman in the tech industry, balancing challenges with grace and constantly pushing boundaries to achieve excellence. I am grateful to work with such incredible role models every day."
UK ITS Cybersecurity Analyst, Jackie Campbell
"The first person that came to mind was Ann Cavoukian," Campbell said. Cavoukian is considered one of the top privacy experts in the world. Cavoukian created the concept of Privacy by Design and was the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. "Her intelligence and accomplishments are very impressive," Campbell said.
Another woman in tech who inspires Campbell is Alex Keedy. Keedy is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Johns Hopkins University and was a keynote speaker at UK ITS CyberCon 2023. At 29, Keedy was recognized for her accomplishments in the information technology industry and became a finalist for the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year Award.
UK ITS Cybersecurity Analyst Assistant and UK student, Ayah Abdeldayem
Abdeldayem recognizes software developer Shahenaz Monia. "I chose her because she is very inspiring because she is also Palestinian like me," Abdeldayem said. “Monia still went for her dreams to become a software developer. Her story very much inspires me to continue to follow through my dreams knowing she has gone through the many obstacles that I may have to go through being a Palestinian woman in tech."
Messaging Systems Engineer II, ITS Enterprise Systems, Diamond McMullen
McMullen selected Marian Croak. An engineer and member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Croak’s work advanced Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies. Her work led to more advanced video and audio conferencing that is used today. "Marian is very inspirational to me as she is an inventor and problem solver, much like what I do today, creating and implementing new tools for campus mail flow and resolving mail issues and requests," McMullen said.
UK ITS DevOps Intern and UK student, Evey Wright
"I'm a fan of Elsie Shutt's story," Wright said. Shutt started one of the first software programming businesses in the U.S. and hired all women programmers to work alongside her. "It was supposed to give mothers a chance to stay in the field part time until their kids went to school," Wright said. "She sounds like a very smart and industrious woman."
UK ITS Director of ITS Finance & Planning, Diana Gold
"I would say that there are many women in ITS who have inspired me. My former supervisor and mentor, Karen Willmott, was a huge source of inspiration and support in the last decade," Gold said. "She has over 40 years of experience in ITS and saw, and led, several big transformations in technology during her career. Karen made it possible for me to grow in my career while juggling being a mom, wife, and eventually completing a master's degree."
Director, Product Development & Integration Enterprise Applications—ITS, Smitha Chopra
"Kalpana Chawla is someone who has inspired me tremendously for her courage and bold pursuit of her goals despite the risks and long road to get there," Chopra said. Chawla became an astronaut and the first Indian American to travel to space. "She crystallizes for me the notion that dreams, when pursued with unrelenting passion, hard work and focus, can become unstoppable reality. It is just as well that her birthday also falls during Women's History Month."
Marketing Cloud Director & Principal Admin, Enterprise Salesforce Team—PR Marketing & Branding, Emily Brenzel
“Mary Lous Jepson is an incredible pioneer and phenomenal female in the world’s technology space," Brenzel said. Jepson is an inventor and optical physicist. "Her magnanimous personality brought her to co-found ‘One Laptop per Child’ bringing tech to underprivileged countries is to be admired. I admire her not just as a female leader who constantly innovates but also as someone who constantly energizes those around her.”