Top 50 Most Important African Americans in Technology

Soulclap to John William Templeton for sharing the 10th annual list of the Top 50 Most Important African Americans in Technology. The list began in 1999.

“African American contributions to technology are as ubiquitous as our movie screens and video games,” notes Templeton, “and as massive as our space exploration, airlines, manufacturing, retail, finance and healthcare. By raising the profile of our overlooked overachievers, we expand the talent base available for the challenges of the future.”

Talented leaders are selected to this list based on their impact on technology and society over the next year. This year's list focused on innovation, workforce development and technical complexity because of the dramatic new investments in science and engineering due to transformations in energy, communications and health care.

The full list can be found on Black Money Worldwide. We are very proud to share some BDPA-Love with our supporters who made the list this year:

• Shellye Archambeau, Chief Executive Officer, MetricStream


• Debra Auguste, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences


• Shirley Bridges, Chief Executive Officer, ShirleyBridges.net


• H. James Dallas, Senior Vice President (Operations), Medtronic


• Martin Davis, Executive Vice President, Wells Fargo


• Michael Drake, Chancellor, University of California (Irvine)


• Monte Ford, Chief Information Officer, American Airlines - He was keynoter at 2004 BDPA Technology Conference in Dallas TX.


• Darrell Freeman, Chairman, Xycron - His company was an early supporter of our BDPA chapter in Nashville TN.


• Dr. Juan Gilbert, Chair of Human Centered Computing, Clemson University - I've known Juan since he was a young 'un at Miami (OH) University. He served for the past few years as the Academic Advisor for the BDPA IT Institute.


• Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, Federal Drug Administration


• Belinda Hankins, New Media Consultant


• Ben-Saba Hasan, Vice President of People Systems, Walmart - Powerful executive sponsor of our BDPA chapter in Austin TX for many years.


• Dr. Elva Jones, Chair of Computer Science, Winston-Salem State University


• Sherrie B. Littlejohn, Executive Vice President (Enterprise Technology Architecture & Planning), Wells Fargo


• Lance Lyttle, Chief Information Officer, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport


• Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, Chief Information Officer, State of New York


• Charles Phillips, President, Oracle


• Alana Ward Robinson, Principal, Robinson Group Consulting


• Mary Spio, President, Co-founder, Gen2Media


• Bonnie Bracey Sutton, Digital Equity Evangelist - Keynote speaker at recent Education Banquet hosted by our BDPA chapter in Chicago IL.


• Vernon Viera, Vice President (Software Development), Pitney Bowes


• Charles Wallace, Chief Information Officer, Keystone Foods - Winner of BDPA Epsilon Award for Professional Achievement


• Eugene Washington, Vice Chancellor, UCLA


• Sharon Cates Williams, Deputy Chief Information Officer, State of New York

Selectees of the 10th edition will gather in San Francisco Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to shape a plan to double African American involvement in technology during a symposium on innovation and equity.

One of the highlights of the Tenth Annual Symposum of the 50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology, Friday, Jan. 15, 2010 at Pier One, Port of San Francisco, will be the release of the documentary Freedom Riders of the Cutting Edge.

Also, profiles of these leaders will be presented on the Black Parents Guide with lesson plans geared to elementary and secondary grades between Thanksgiving and January 15, 2010.

It truly is wonderful to see this list that focuses attention on men and women that can be role models for African Americans who seek to advance their careers in the IT industry. Kudos to John William Templeton and his team for sharing this labor of love with the world!