Who We Are: Caroline Simard

Director of Research and Executive Programs

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Dr. Caroline Simard directs the Anita Borg Institute’s (ABI) research initiatives. She has led the design, data collection and analysis, writing, and dissemination of the Institute’s major research initiative: “Climbing the Technical Ladder:  Obstacles and Solutions for Mid-Level Women in Technology,” which has received national media attention. At ABI, she is spearheading executive engagement programs directed at supporting organizational change for greater retention and advancement of technical women. She is a frequent speaker on oranizational and individual strategies for talent management and co-authors a blog on Fast Company on the issues facing women in technology.

Simard is passionate about social science research and its role in creating practical solutions to social problems. Prior to ABI, Simard was a Researcher at the Center for Social Innovation of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Caroline holds a PhD in communication studies from Stanford University, with a focus on organizational theory, high-technology industries, and social networks. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Université de Montréal and a Masters Degree in Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers University.

Simard’s publications have focused on gender and technical human capital, the barriers to the diffusion of best practices, managing open innovation, regional clusters of innovation, and social networks. Simard serves on the Leadership Team of the National Center for Women and Information Technology and is a former member of the editorial committee at the Stanford Social Innovation Review.  

Find me on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter (@csimard) and on Del.ici.ous 

Officers

  • Telle Whitney, - President and CEO
  • James Beck, CPA & CMA, Managing Director & CFO, Mayfield Fund - Treasurer & Vice President

Corporate Counsel

  • Allison Spinner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Staff

Our Founder

Board of Trustees

  • William Wulf, Ph.D., Former President, National Academy of Engineering, Board Chair
  • Bill Unger, Partner Emeritus, Mayfield Fund - Vice-Chair
  • Robin Abrams, Investor
  • Margaret Ashida, Director, Diversity and Workforce Programs - IBM
  • Prith Banerjee, Senior Vice President, Research, and Director, HP Labs, HP
  • James Beck, CPA & CMA, Managing Director & CFO, Mayfield Fund - Treasurer & Vice President
  • Francine Berman, Professor, Dept of Computer Science and Engineering, UC San Diego and Fellow, ACM
  • Debi Coleman, Managing Partner, SmartForest Ventures
  • Nora Denzel, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Payroll, Intuit
  • Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President, Research and Systems Engineering, Google
  • Penny Herscher, President & CEO, firstRain
  • Kathy Hill, Senior VP Ethernet and Wireless Systems Technology Group, Cisco Systems Inc.
  • Leah Jamieson, John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering, and Ramsburg Distinguished Professor, Purdue University
  • Maria Klawe, President, Harvey Mudd College
  • Ike Nassi, Chief Scientist and Executive Vice President, SAP
  • Brian Pawlowski, CTO, and Senior Vice President, NetApp
  • Richard Rashid, Senior VP and VP Research, Microsoft
  • Justin Rattner, Senior Fellow & CTO, Intel
  • Telle Whitney, President & CEO, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
  • Linda Bernardi, Emeritus (Term: 1996 -2006)
  • Greg Papadopoulos, Emeritus (Term: 1996 -2006)

Individual and Organizations

Board of Advisors