Borg, Anita

1949–

U.S. Computer Scientist

Anita Borg is president and founding director of the Institute for Women and Technology, and a member of the research staff at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Borg has been a tireless and passionate advocate in encouraging women to pursue careers in computer science and technology.

Borg, born Anita Borg Naffz in Chicago, grew up in Illinois, Hawaii, and Washington, and spent her first two years of college at the University of Washington in Seattle. After moving to Manhattan, where she learned the computer language COBOL (Common Business Language), Borg returned to school at New York University, where she received a doctorate in computer science in 1981 for her research in the area of operating systems synchronization efficiency.

After graduation, she worked for several computer companies before spending 12 years with Digital Equipment. While at Digital, she developed tools for predicting the performance of future microprocessor memory systems. In 1992, Borg transferred to Digital's Network Systems Laboratory, where she developed a new system for supporting efficient inter-organizational communication: Mecca, a fully Web-accessible system that provides security, privacy filtering, and the ability to get pertinent information to the right people based on their position, location, or interests.

In 1987, Borg initiated Systers, an electronic community for technical women in computing. Systers currently has 2,500 members in 38 countries. In 1994, Borg co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a technical conference highlighting talks by women computer scientists. The conference, which was held in 1997 and 2000 as well, also aims to bring to light the work of women in the history of computer science, and to advocate for policies to bring more women and minorities into science and technology.

In December 1997, Borg moved to Xerox PARC to create the Institute for Women and Technology (IWT). IWT's mission is to increase the impact of women in all aspects of technology, and to increase the positive impact of technology on women. IWT is a non-profit organization with sponsorship from Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, and Xerox, among others. IWT projects include further developments on Mecca, a workshop on Technology for Future Families, the Virtual Development Center (an industry-supported partnership of universities and communities that brings together universities and high-school girls to brainstorm on new technological designs), and the Senior Women's Summit. Held in 2000, the summit focused on the future of women in computing, public policy, education, and societal challenges. IWT has also focused on increasing young girls' interest in math and science by engaging in a pilot project that encourages girls to look critically at technology in their everyday lives.

Borg has been the recipient of many awards, including the 1999 Forbes Executive Women's Summit Award for Outstanding Achievement and the 1999 Melitta Bentz Woman of Innovation Award. In addition, she has been inducted into the 1998 Women in Technology International Hall of Fame, was made a 1996 Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, and in 1995 received both the Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Augusta Ada Lovelace Award from the Association of Women in Computing.

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