The Westchester County Association will hold the second annual Women in Tech Awards luncheon Oct. 1 at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown. The awards will honor five area women for their achievements in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics ”” also known as STEM:Â JoAnn Difede, Joan Fallon, Lynn Macdonald, Rebecca Sommi and Andrea Soto.
IBM Corp. senior advisor Linda Sanford will deliver the luncheon’s keynote address.
Difede, a professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and director of the Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, has used virtual technology to treat survivors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She is perhaps best known for her her work in the treatment of PTSD following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
Fallon, CEO at Curemark LLC, a biopharmaceutical company, has developed therapies to treat autism and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Curemark’s mission is to develop therapies to treat serious diseases for which there are limited treatment options.
Macdonald, the executive director of Pain, Neurology & VI Next for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, has developed genomic technologies for the treatment of human diseases that have led to 14 antibodies. She is also an inventor on 26 U.S. patents.
Sommi, the senior vice president of operations, support and engineering at Rye Brook-based Broadview Networks, oversees several operations for the company, including vendor management, network engineering, inventory management and regulatory support.
Soto, a vice president for MasterCard, serves as a key adviser to the company’s president and has helped the company establish programs in more than a dozen cities worldwide. She has also led the development of partnerships with organizations including Girls Who Code and Women 2.0.
“The Women in Technology luncheon provides a forum for the women to share their stories and for us to shine a light on their successes,” Westcheter County Association President Marissa Brett said. “Westchester is a leader in technology and the life sciences, and we are honored to recognize these trailblazing women who are improving our lives daily.”
The luncheon will also honored two Westchester students for their STEM achievements: Briarcliff High School senior Brigitte Obermeyer and Lindsay Peckham, a cyber security major at Westchester Community College.
For tickets and more information, visit www.westchester.org.
