Red Hat executives recognized for excellence at the Women in IT Awards

Red Hat has long been a champion of promoting diversity in technology and in open source and is a strong advocate of celebrating the accomplishments of women -- both on our team and throughout the industry. That’s why we are excited to share that two Red Hatters were recently recognized for their outstanding contributions in the field of IT.

Last week at the Women in IT Awards, Margaret Dawson, vice president of Product Portfolio Marketing, was selected as Business Role Model of the Year and DeLisa Alexander, executive vice president and chief people officer, was runner-up for Advocate of the Year and recognized with a high commendation from the judges.

Margaret Dawson is a role model for women in business. In her IT career, she has led teams for companies of all sizes, from startups to the Fortune 500. She has a passion for mentoring women in tech and her work as a role model extends well beyond her team. She is well-known for her presentation titled “Snorting Out Loud and Letting Your True Light Shine” that encourages women to be free to be who they are. Margaret has made it her mission to share the lessons she has learned with other women in IT and guide and mentor them in their own journeys.

DeLisa Alexander is dedicated to making sure our nearly 12,000 employees feel empowered to make a difference in the company and the broader open source community. At Red Hat, DeLisa was integral in launching Red Hat’s first diversity and inclusion community, the Women's Leadership Community, which connects women at the company and offers networking, support and educational opportunities for them at each stage of their careers. DeLisa is also the executive sponsor and an official judge of the Women in Open Source Award, sponsored by Red Hat, which celebrates women who make important contributions to open source projects and communities, or those making innovative use of open source methodology. She lives the role of advocate every day and has made a career out of giving back to the women she works with and the girls she hopes to inspire.

The Women in IT Awards, presented by Information Age, is one of the technology world’s most prominent and influential diversity awards programs, highlighting the accomplishments and innovation of women in all aspects of technology.

Congratulations to Margaret, DeLisa and all of the outstanding women who were honored by this year’s Women in IT Awards for their valuable contributions to the technology industry!