IBM'S Florence Hudson Appointed Society of Women Engineers' Vice President of Strategic Planning

Business Wire, June 1, 2005

CHICAGO -- IBM executive brings strategic planning expertise to Society's outreach, awareness and international goals

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) announced today the appointment of Ms. Florence D. Hudson as SWE's vice president of strategic planning. Through IBM's Faculty Loan Program, Ms. Hudson will serve as a member of SWE's executive staff working directly with SWE management and board leadership to strengthen the IBM/SWE partnership and advance SWE's mission.

Ms. Hudson will provide services to SWE from June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2006 and will remain an IBM employee. Hudson will concentrate on several key areas including outreach programs for K-12 girls, the development of a new awareness program for women in technology, strategic planning for expanding SWE globally, and strategic support to SWE's diversity initiatives.

"IBM and SWE share a commitment to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in technology," said Nicholas Donofrio, IBM senior vice president, Technology and Manufacturing. "By assigning an executive to SWE for a year, the IBM Faculty Loan program gives us a unique way to act on our shared objectives. We are proud to appoint Florence Hudson to this role. Her strong executive background, knowledge of the issues of women in technology, and passion for advancing women make her the ideal choice."

"We are honored to welcome Florence Hudson to the SWE management team and grateful to IBM for supporting her assignment," said Betty Shanahan, executive director and CEO of SWE. "Florence's passion, strategic thinking and creativity will greatly enhance our ability to create programs that emphasize technology and engineering as desirable and rewarding career options for women."

Prior to her SWE appointment Ms. Hudson served as vice president for strategy and marketing for the Global Industrial Sector for IBM Corporation and was responsible for strategic growth in worldwide support and business results for aerospace and defense, automotive, chemicals, petroleum, electronics and industrial products enterprises. Ms. Hudson also serves as acting Chief Technology Officer for the IBM Global Industrial Sector. In this role she is responsible to ensure the technical strategies IBM develops and executes enable business strategies which are focused on client needs. This includes ensuring technical development plans and industry standards activities meet clients' needs.

Ms. Hudson graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. She has attended and lectured at Executive Education at Harvard Business School, and has attended executive education at Columbia University. She is a senior member of the Society of Women Engineers participating as a member of the Archives Committee and currently serving as Co-Chair of the SWE Corporate Partnership Council. She is also a sustaining member of the Board of the Juvenile Law Education Project and is an active proponent for IBM's Women in Technology Initiative in encouraging young people to pursue careers in math, science and engineering.

About SWE

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders. For more information about the Society please visit www.swe.org or call (312) 596-5223.