50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology Bios

This list is selected by the editors of blackmoney.com and
souloftechnology.net based on the enduring impact of the selectees on
society both as business leaders and through their policy and volunteer
activities

Pinnacle Award winner   Richard Parsons, co-COO, AOL Time Warner, New York
City.  Parsons is part of the leadership team for the largest aggregation of
content and distribution merging entertainment and online enterprises
ranging from CNN to the 30-million subscriber America Online.   He is also
an active participant in the redevelopment of Harlem and the Apollo Theatre,
and a board member of Howard University.  AOL Time Warner has recently
created a $100 million venture fund for minority and women-owned ventures.

Gen. Lester Lyles, Commander, U.S. Air Force Material Command,
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH  Gen. Lyles is the procurement agent for the most
technologically-advanced military force in human history as head of the
Material Command, which develops
and acquires the tools used by the Air Force.   He was most recently vice
chief of staff, following a stint as commander of the Ballistic Missile
Defense Organization.  He is an engineering graduate of Howard University.
He is typical of the more than 400,000 African-Americans serving in the U.S.
military, which has been the primary route for technical training for
blacks.

Michael Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, Washington,
D.C.   Chief regulator for the convergence of telephones, television, cable,
wireless and as-yet-unforeseen communication technologies.  The son of
Secretary of State Colin Powell, the 38-year-old lawyer was first appointed
to the commission under President Clinton before President Bush named him
chairman.

Noah Samora, CEO, WorldSpace Inc.  Washington, D.C.   International
satellite broadcaster has developed pacesetting technology for direct
broadcast to wind-up digital radios and has launched three satellites in
2000 serving Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.  Operates a foundation to
foster distance learning on the African continent.

Al Zollar, CEO, Lotus Development Corp, a subsidiary of IBM Corp. Boston, MA
Zollar was a California-born math prodigy who began working for IBM after
graduating from the University of California 30 years ago and has been
placed in progressively responsible assignments.   As head of the signature
software maker, Lotus, he has integrated its operations with IBM's extensive
programming offerings.

John W. Thompson, CEO, Symantec Corp. Cupertino, CA   Former head of IBM
Americas after 30 years with Big Blue took over this manufacturer of
anti-virus software and transformed it into a developer of computer security
with a doubling of revenues in less than three years.   He is a graduate of
Florida A&M University.

David Steward, CEO, World Wide Technology, St. Louis, MO.  Founded this
computer distributor in 1990 with less than a half million in sales.
Reached $800 million in revenues by 2000 and became the first technology
company to top Black Enterprise's Top 100 list.

Cecile Barker, CEO, OAO Corp.  Greenbelt, MD.   Dr. Barker first gained fame
as head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Orbiting
Astronomical Observatory and used the same initials to found the company, a
major contractor to defense, intelligence and other government agencies.

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Emmitt Paige, COO, OAO Corp. Greenbelt, MD.  Gen. Paige was
deputy assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications
and intelligence for the Pentagon in the 1980s and helped develop the
technological
infrastructure for the armed forces. Upon retirement, he took the operating
reins of OAO Corp.

Houston Williams, CEO, Pacific Network Supply, San Jose, CA.  Williams has
built a company of more than a half billion in sales by supplying the
fast-growing market for telecommunications equipment.  He created an
innovative alliance with Native American and Hispanic firms.

Roy Clay Sr.,  CEO, Rod-L Electronics, Menlo Park, CA  "The godfather of
black Silicon Valley," Clay was told in 1955 by McDonnell Aircraft there
were "no jobs for professional Negroes" despite his math degree from
Washington University.  A year later, he was its first computer programmer.
By 1965, he was research and development director for Hewlett-Packard's new
computer division and created a family tree of black computer standouts.
As a  consultant to venture funds, he "greenlighted" the initial investments
to Intel, Compaq and Tandem.  In the early 1970s, he began Rod-L, which
makes the hi pottesters that check all consumer electronic equipment for
electrical shorts.   Clay hires non-college graduates from nearby East Palo
Alto to staff his factory to make the point about the underused capabilities
in America's inner cities.

Robert Knowling, CEO, Internet Access Corp. Houston.    Knowling also serves
on the boards of Hewlett Packard and Heidrick and Struggles.  He was
formerly CEO of Covad Communications and a top executive at US West.

Dr. Samuel Metters, CEO, Metters Industries, McLean, VA  The diverse
enterprises  of Metters include U.S. Black Online, the largest black-owned
Internet service  provider, systems integration, document management.   Dr.
Metters began as  a scientist and engineer developing defense applications
before launching his own firm.

Michael Fields, CEO, The Fields Group, Oakland, CA  Fields is a former
military veteran who rose to become president of Oracle USA.  He gained the
largest venture award to that time ($25 million) to start Open Vision, which
he took public.  Now Fields has purchased and equipped an office building in
downtown Oakland where he incubates five minority-owned technology
companies.

Greg Pratt, CEO, OAO Technologies, Greenbelt, MD  Pratt was an early pioneer
in the personal computer age as president of Atari.  Now as head of OAO
spin-off, OAO Technologies, Pratt has guided the publicly-traded firm
through the minefields of the dot-com era to achieve more than $200 million
in sales with more than 2,000 employees.  It is a bidder for such contracts
as the outsourcing deal for the National Security Agency.

Maurice Tose, CEO, TeleCommunications Systems, Annapolis, MD.  Through
acquisitions and innovations, Tose has built a critically important company
in the wireless infrastructure business.  One of his products allows
wireless devices to be used for e-commerce.

Frederick Green, CEO, Ault Inc., Minneapolis, MN   Hunt's firm makes power
supplies for the universe of shrinking communications devices ranging
frommodems to DSL and cable interfaces.  It is publicly traded.

Dorothy Terrell, COO, Natural Microsystems Inc.  Boston, MA  Terrell was the
first black woman to manage a computer factory for Digital Equipment in the
1980s and later was a divisional vice president for Sun Microsystems. She is
the chief operating officer for this Massachusetts technology firm.

Rodney Hunt, CEO, RS Information Systems, McLean, VA  Hunt has been selected as top entrepreneur in the D.C. area and given an award as a top supplier by the U.S. Air Force.  RSIS is a fast-growing system integrator.

Vincent Smith, CEO, CyNet Inc. Houston, TX  CyNet has built strategic
alliances  with major computer companies like Compaq to enhance the
capabilities of wireless products and web sites.  It conducted its initial
public offering in 2000.

Dr. John Slaughter, President, National Action Council for Minorities in
Engineering (NACME) New York City Former director of National Science
Foundation director and Occidental College president took the reins of the
25-year-old organization that funds fully ten percent of all
underrepresented minority students in engineering. Also operates Vanguard
Scholars program in high schools to prepare students and Math is Power
advertising campaign.

Dr. Shirley Jackson, President, Renassalaer Polytechnic Institute,
Rochester, NY  Physicist headed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before
tapped to lead prestigious engineering school.  Continues to work to bring
women and underrepresented minorities into science and engineering.

Dr. George Campbell, President, Cooper Union, New York City.  Campbell led
NACME for 10 years of unprecedented growth, then took leadership of
venerable engineering school. The physicist worked at Bell Labs before
turning to education.

LeBaron Woodyard, dean of instructional technology, California Community
Colleges Chancellor's Office, Sacramento, CA  Woodyard manages technology
for the 1.6 million student, 106-campus California community college system,
the world's largest system of higher education.  He developed and gained
funding for the 4C-Net distance learning network which will eventually allow
students to take classes from any campus.

Julia Johnson, vice president, MilCom Inc., Orlando, FL.   Johnson heads the
Governor's Task Force on Information Technology in Florida after serving two
years as head of the Public Service Commission.  She runs marketing programs
for this provider of technology for defense applications.

Mike Beasley, Chair, Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement, University
of California, Morgan Hill, CA  Last year's Pinnacle Award winner spent  30
years with IBM including the last eight as CEO of the intrapreneural unit,
Icing Software.   As chair of MESA, he pushes for support for the program
that serves 25,000 youth yearly from elementary to college to promote
engineering and science careers.

Dr. Bryant York,  Director, Institute for African-American Information
Infrastructure, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Supercomputer researcher York has won a three-year National Science
Foundation grant to analyze how technology can enhance all facets of
African-American society.

Barry Cooper, CEO, Black Voices Inc. Chicago, IL.  Cooper started an online
community as a sideline while a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel which grew
to become the most visited site of all the Tribune properties.   Black
Voices has become one of the most visited destinations among blacks online.

Angela Mason, CEO, ITS Services, McLean, VA   Mason's firm is one of the
growing firms in the Washington, D.C. area that has built a solid reputation
as a supplier to government clients including the Treasury Department and a
new contract with the U.S. Census Bureau.

Dr. Philip Emeagwali, emeagwali.com. Baltimore, MD    The first individual
winner of the Gordon Bell Prize of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic  Engineering, Emeagwali created the fastest computation ever by
using 55,000 different processors instead of a supercomputer.  It was an
early  demonstration of the promise of the Internet.  Now his site provides
science learning and motivation for more than 150,000 students who visit
weekly.   Although forced to drop out in the eighth grade by the Biafran war
in his native Nigeria, Emeagwali gained his doctorate in computer science.

Yvonne Jackson, senior vice president for human resources, Compaq Computer
Corp.  Houston.  Former vice president for human resources at Burger King,
Jackson took charge of the personnel function for the largest maker of
personal computers.

Dixie Garr,  vice president for customer quality assurance, Cisco Systems
Inc., San Jose.   Grambling graduate spent her early career at Hughes and
Texas Instruments, where she helped develop the black employee affinity
group.   She is a strong advocate for historically-black colleges and
opportunities for their graduates.

Stan Washington, technology director, McDonalds, Downers Grove, IL
Washington manages technology for the largest fast food chain in the world.

Eric Kelly, president, Network Systems Group, Maxtor Corp. San Jose.  Just
assumed new post after serving as chief operating officer of iSyndicate.
Had earlier been a vice president of Dell Computer.

Dr. Philip Clay, chancellor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, MA   Former head of urban studies at MIT, he is a specialist in
housing.   He led the institute's task force on diversity and now is the
second-ranking official at this premiere source of technology talent.

Emmitt McHenry, CEO, Netcom Solutions Inc.  Fairfax, VA.   Supplier of
equipment and system integration to major federal agencies with more than
$50 million in sales.

Lori Perine,  CEO Interpretech Inc. Rockville, MD.   Perine was deputy to
the associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology,
where she helped develop policies to overcome the digital divide.  This firm
directs venture capital and management towards minority and women-owned
firms.

Dr. Mark Dean, vice president, IBM, Yorktown, NY.  Dean was part of the team
that developed the IBM PC in Boca Raton, FL exactly 20 years ago.  He
continues to develop cutting edge applications for IBM from the Yorktown
laboratory.

John H. Thompson, lingoworks.com. Bala Cynwyd, PA  Thompson developed Lingo,
the programming language that drives the interactivity of 90 percent of
video games and web sites.  The MIT graduate grew up in Harlem where he
began playing with computers in high schools.  As principal engineer at
MacroMedia for more than a decade, he used Lingo for programs like
Shockwave, Flash and Director

Carter Bing, technology specialist, School of Engineering, North Carolina
A&T State University, Greensboro, NC.   From his roost inside A&T, Bing
created The Drum, which became a widespread online network linking black
professionals across the nation. He also uses satellites, videoconferencing
and other technologies to enhance the learning experience for one of the
largest producers of black engineers.

Earl Pace Jr.  CEO Pace Data Systems. Philadelphia For 25 years, has
operated computer outsourcing and technology development for the banking
industry.  Was a co-founder of Black Data Processing Associates-Information
Technology
Thought Leaders.

Tyrone Taborn  CEO Career Communications Group, Baltimore.  As founder of
Black Engineer and Hispanic Engineer, has raised the profile of
underrepresented groups.  Holds the annual Black Engineer of the Year awards
and launched an annual campaign to increase online usage among black
families.

Thurmond Woodard, vice president of global diversity, Dell Computer, Round
Rock, TX.  Former executive of American Institute for Managing Diversity
selected to fill the highest post yet created in the computer industry to
promote diverse employees, customers and suppliers

Gale Sayers, CEO, Sayers, Chicago, IL Hall of Fame NFL running back moved
from athletics to technology with this technology equipment distribution
firm.

Dr. Ron Goldsberry, CEO Carstation.com  San Francisco  Former Ford Motor Co.
executive took over b2b startup designed to simplify acquisition of parts
among insurers, repairers and manufacturers.

Anita Brown,  Black Geeks Online, Washington, D.C.  Affectionately known as
"MissDC", Anita Brown has been a tireless evangelist for African-American
online participation, helping to foster a five-fold growth in the late
1990s.

Preston Edwards Sr., imdiversity.com New Orleans   Edwards founded Black
Collegian 30 years ago as the first magazine serving black college students.
With imdiversity.com, has collected the largest online supply of resumes
from professional black students and alumni.

John Taylor, CEO, Cinerge' Greensboro, NC   Taylor's firm is a leading
developer of ebusiness software applications.  It has been selected as a top
innovator in the Comdex computer trade show.

Dr. Dhyana Ziegler, assistant vice president for instructional technology,
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL.   Dr. Ziegler has won a $3 million
grant from the National Science Foundation to create an educational network
at Florida A&M.  She was previously a professor at the University of
Tennessee.

Virginia Walker, consultant, San Jose, CA  Walker has served as chief
financial officer of five venture funded firms that have successfully gone
public.The last was Sagent Technologies.  She was the first black woman to
be among the 100 highest paid executives in Silicon Valley.