WIT Announces Finalists for Eighth Annual
Women of the Year in Technology Awards
Nine exceptional women leaders honored

March 21, 2007 – ATLANTA, GA - Women In Technology (WIT), the leading association devoted to the development of Georgia's businesswomen in the technology industry, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2007 Women of the Year in Technology Awards.

The Awards, now in their eighth year, recognize women in technology or scientific leadership positions within technology or non-technology organizations, and women holding business leadership positions in technology organizations.  This year, fifty-one women were nominated for the Women of the Year in Technology Awards, representing a broad range of industries including banking, retail, health care, public sector and utilities as well as technology organizations.

With global experience and diverse backgrounds, the nine unique women selected as finalists for the 2007 Women of the Year in Technology awards have one thing in common – the desire and ability to excel in technology leadership.  From driving business and technology decisions for their organizations to serving as volunteers or mentors, the finalists serve as models of success for a new generation of women in technology.

The finalists were announced at a VIP reception held yesterday, March 20, 2007 at Fay Gold Gallery.  Three finalists were selected in each of three industry categories, Emerging/Small Business, Mid-Market/Medium Business and Enterprise Business.

Emerging/Small Organization

Finalists chosen in the Emerging/Small Organization category represent companies or organizations with 100 employees or less, whether they are new or established businesses.  These finalists include a nuclear engineer, a technology marketing expert and a cable television executive holding seven patents.  Each exhibits a drive to develop new technologies and grow their Emerging/Small organizations.  The nominees in this category are:

• Nadia Butler, Chief Executive Officer - ESi
• Anna Convery, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Product Management - Nexidia
• Vibha Rustagi, President and CEO - itaas, Inc.

Mid-Market/Medium Organization

Finalists for the Mid-Market/Medium Organization category were selected from companies or organizations with 101 to 1000 employees.  With career beginnings in consumer food products, appliance repair parts and computer systems, the finalists in the Mid-Market / Medium Organization category have built careers in delivering outstanding service and solutions for their customers.  This year's nominees are:

• Elaine O'Gorman, Vice President of Strategy - Silverpop
• Terry Trout, Vice President, Customer Experience - Cbeyond, Inc.
• Madeline Veltri, Director of Application Delivery - Coalition America, Inc.

Enterprise Organization

The three finalists for the Enterprise Organization category represent companies or organizations with more than 1000 employees.  The Enterprise Organization finalists for 2007 include a mathematician, a former police officer and a health care operations officer, each of whom developed their talent for technology into a leadership role with a major organization.  The Enterprise Organization nominees are:

• Kristin Howlett Gonzenbach, Director of Process Improvement - DeKalb County Government
• Marianne Johnson, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Services Platforms -
  Equifax Inc.
• Marie Mouchet, Vice President and CIO Southern Company Generation and CIO Southern Nuclear - Southern Company

"All of the exceptional nominees this year deserve recognition for their outstanding contributions," said Judi Vitale, WIT president for 2007.  "WIT is honored to congratulate the finalists for achieving superior leadership success in their technology roles, and we look forward to celebrating the best of Georgia's technology leadership talent when we announce the winners of the 2007 Women of the Year in Technology Awards."

Award recipients will be announced and recognized during the 2007 Women of the Year in Technology Awards ceremony on April 26, 2007 at TWELVE Atlantic Station.  Those interested in attending the event can purchase tickets online at www.witinc.org or by calling 678.234.7329.

Women of the Year in Technology Awards 2007 is presented by founding sponsor, Grant Thornton, as well as gold sponsor, Kilpatrick Stockton; silver sponsors McKesson and International Hotel Groups; bronze sponsors, Primus Software Corporation and Tri-state Printing and Media Sponsor, Atlanta Business Chronicle.

About Women in Technology (WIT)
WIT is a not-for-profit association that promotes the advancement of women in the field of technology.  WIT is a founding society of the Technology Association of Georgia, an umbrella membership organization that serves more than 5,000 members of the Georgia technology community.  WIT hosts monthly meetings featuring nationally recognized speakers who address business issues relevant to members of the technology community.

WIT sponsors a number of initiatives such as WIT Executive Coaching, WIT Mentoring Circles, Girls Get IT and WIT On Track.  WIT presents premier annual events including The Women of the Year in Technology Awards and WIT Connect, which is WIT's annual fundraiser.  For more information on WIT, visit www.witinc.org.

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Media Inquiries Contact:
Marti Breen
WIT Marketing & PR Coordinator
mbreen@witinc.org
404.815.7222