Women In Technology

Become a Transformational Leader
Speakers:	Speaker: Ann Cramer Director - IBM North America IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs
Date:	Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Time:	7:30am - 9:00am
Location:	Maggiano's Buckhead 3368 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA Map
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June's WIT meeting will feature Ann Cramer, Director of IBM North America's Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs. Ms. Cramer was recently recognized as Atlanta Woman magazine’s Power Woman of the Year and is one of Atlanta's most devoted corporate citizens. Ms. Cramer will share her thoughts on "The Power of Community Service and Corporate Citizenship." Come be inspired!

To Ann Cramer it all comes down to helping people. In a recent Atlanta Woman article she stated, “We are all citizens of the world and as such we should all be there for each other. It’s all about building trust relationships and as one grows and opens a door, another one enters and then helps the next. It’s all about people working together for each other.” She lives out these beliefs every day devoting herself and her energy, spirit, and enthusiasm to an amazing diversity of causes. And she affirms others to use their talents wisely in the extended community. She is truly a Power Woman. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn from this inspirational leader in our community.

Ann W. Cramer
Director - IBM North America
IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs

Ann Wilson Cramer, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a degree in mathematics and serves on its board. She is with IBM Corporation as its Director for IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs in North America. Ann and her husband, Jeff, their two children, Megan and Wil, are all active at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, where Ann has served as Senior Warden of the Vestry. Ann started with IBM as a Systems Engineer in Jacksonville. After being "retired" from IBM for ten years, Ann returned to IBM in External Programs, now Corporate Community Relations.

Ann’s commitment to and involvement with children and youth has been a lifelong journey. Her current job with IBM allows her to continue her work with the improvement of conditions for families, because of IBM’s historic involvement with and investment in local communities.

IBM is committed to K-12 education, job training and employment, community and family services, literacy programs and support for the disabled and disadvantaged through its people and technology. IBM employees are considered its strongest philanthropic asset in its approach to improve the communities in which they live and work. IBM’s primary emphasis is focused on education reform, especially related to the powerful use of technology as a tool for learning. IBM has invested more than $35million in providing leading edge information technology solutions to Reinventing Education, a unique initiative with worldwide implications for radically improving public education, especially the high standards of achievement for all children.

In support of IBM’s primary focus areas, Ann currently serves as a past chair of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), Communities in Schools-Georgia, and chairs the Georgia Chamber’s Education Committee, Voices for Georgia’s Children, and is on the Executive Committee for the US Chamber’s Institute for Competitive Workforce, the Conference Board’s Business and Education Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber Education Committee and Project GRAD Board. She serves on several non-profit organization boards including Carter Center Board of Councilors; the Woodruff Arts Center, the Alliance Theatre Company, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, the Georgia Center for NonProfits, Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgia Chapter of the International Women's Forum.

Likewise, Ann chairs the Council on Foundations Corporate Committee and serves on its board, and she represents IBM on the United Way of America’s National Corporate Leaders Council, the Center for Corporate Citizenship Advisory Board at Boston College, the US Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), the Independent Sector’s Membership Committee and the Southeastern Council on Foundations Communications Committee.

In support of children, youth and education, Ann most recently chaired the Workforce Development Task Force for the Governor’s Commission for a New Georgia. Ann has chaired the Governor’s Child Protective Services Task Force, served as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Children and Youth and co-chaired the Governor's Welfare Reform Task Force, the Governor's Policy Council for Children and Families and the Grady Foundation, the Governor's Action Council for Safe Kids and led a team developing Voices for Georgia’s Children.

She was recently inducted into the Business Hall of Fame and awarded Georgia’s 1st Visionary Leadership Award, Leadership Atlanta’s Legacy of Leadership Award, the Lexus Leader of the Arts, the Shining Star recognition from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, the first Narrowing the Digital Divide Award, the Andrew Young Public Policy and Faith award, Leading Ladies and Women Making the Mark distinctions, the Georgia Council for Economic Education’s prestigious VanLandingham Award, the Urban League’s 2000 Distinguished Community Service Award, the LifeTime Achievement in the Arts, Outstanding Achievement in Child Advocacy and she has received the 1988 11-Alive Community Service Award, the 1983 Georgia Volunteer of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Public Service Award; 1991 Alumnae Leadership Award for Salem College, and the 1990 DECA Award, one of ten outstanding business women in Atlanta.

Ann is past chair of the United Way of Metro-Atlanta, Research Atlanta, the Arts and Business Council; the WorldClass Schools Foundation; past president of the Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. and was selected by the YWCA for its first Outstanding Women of Achievement Recognition in 1984. She has participated in Leadership Atlanta, Leadership Georgia and the Regional Leadership Institute, is a member of Outstanding Atlanta, and chaired Leadership Atlanta's 25th Anniversary Celebration. Also, she chaired the Volunteer Task Force for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), was appointed the public member and has served as the Chairman of the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.