Jan Willis, Senior Vice President, Industry Alliances, Cadence Design Systems, is this year's recipient of the Marie R. Pistilli Women in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Achievement Award. The annual award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the advancement of women in EDA, and will be presented at the 12th Annual Workshop for Women in Design Automation (WWINDA) on Monday June 4, 2007. Jan Willis is being recognized for her commitment and dedication to fostering the careers of women in EDA. Throughout her career as a leading technology executive, she has served as a role model and mentor to women. Willis is a champion for The Tech Challenge, a competition for girls and boys in grades 6 through 12 that promotes learning about and using technology to solve a design problem. At Cadence, she is the executive sponsor of the Women's Mentoring Program, a program designed to develop the leadership skills necessary for career development and enrichment. She has been involved with local Girl Scouts, speaking to girls in grades 6-7 and 8-12 about her own experiences pursuing a career in electrical engineering and management. Ms. Willis also actively supports the Anita Borg Institute to encourage women in engineering.
She serves on the board of Si2 and is a founder and steering group member for the X Initiative. She is also on the Board of Directors of The Tech Museum of Innovation. In 2006 Willis was selected to receive the prestigious TWIN Award by the Silicon Valley YWCA, in recognition of being an outstanding woman in industry. Willis also received the 2007 Woman of Distinction Award in Technology from the San Jose-Silicon Valley Business Journal. She holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Now in its eighth year, the award is named for Marie R. Pistilli, the former organizer of the Design Automation Conference (DAC). The award is open to both men and women with technical or non-technical backgrounds in industry or academia.
Workshop for Women in Design Automation
The Workshop for Women in Design Automation, held yearly during the annual Design Automation Conference (DAC), is a professional development event for women in the Electronic Design Automation (EDA) field. Addressing the particular needs of these women, it serves as a forum to exchange ideas for building a successful career within the profession and offers an opportunity for peer-to-peer networking. An address by the yearly recipient of the Marie R. Pistilli Women in EDA Award is part of the program, as is a keynote by a highly visible woman from within the industry. A panel made up of successful role models to discuss a relevant and timely topic rounds out the agenda.
