A Thank You Note from the Past Chair, Ruth Lennon

I have never been one to highlight myself on this website as I think it is better to highlight others. That is why we are here – to advocate for women in computing. This month, however, as I move from the role of Chair to Past Chair, I wish to write a note to thank you, the members and volunteers. Whilst I will remain working with the ACM-W, I know that the new Co-Chairs, Rukiye Altin and Bushra Anjum, will continue the great work of the ACM-W and start new initiatives.

Ruth and Reyyan at ACM, NY

My journey with the ACM-W has been remarkable. When I took up the role of the Chair of the ACM-W, I saw an opportunity to expand on the strategy of past chairs, making the ACM-W recognized as a global advocate for women in computing. I mentioned in the past that there is no better way to promote diversity than to ensure that we ably represent our members across the world. I still stand by this. During my time in the role of the chair, I am proud to say that the executive committee has grown to include greater representation from our many regions.
With this growth comes the need for greater structure to enable the many volunteers to gain insights into the decisions of the past and the vision of the amazing women who came before us. I am particularly pleased to see our volunteers use this information to aid our new volunteers moving forward. Clarifying our process aids in fair and equitable support for all our volunteers. Attracting new volunteers across our regions is crucial to offering our many services. With our global team, support for a variety of meeting
times and locations, and understanding differences in culture and language all help towards the inclusive environment that the ACM-W strives for.
Whilst there were many initiatives, I would like to highlight just a few that I am most proud of. The first is the ACM-W Buddy Project, which was started by Reyyan Ayfer and Arati Dixit and is now also supported by Nutan Limaye. This project is a great example of how our chapters across different regions can work together. The ACM-W Global Chapter Summit demonstrated how we don’t have to be in the same country, region, or time zone to be able to support each other or learn from each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the inaugural summit. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
To celebrate our members and our volunteers, I suggested a new series of awards. Once we have established the process for applying for the awards, we will disclose the details more fully, but I am proud to say that we have agreed to have the following awards:

  • The Spirit of the ACM-W
  • The Best ACM-W Professional Chapter
  • The Best ACM-W Student Chapter

These are just a few of our projects. I am proud of the progress we have achieved together. I want to thank each and every one of our members and volunteers for contributing to this progress. Thank you for joining me on this incredible journey. The memories I have of everyone I have met or had the pleasure to work with will remain with me forever.

I’m looking forward to continuing my service and support to all of you in the coming years.

Best wishes,

Ruth G. Lennon

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Print