Ford Motor Company's Donna L. Bell, director of research operations, is the 2018 Technologist of the Year.

2018 marks the 23rd anniversary of the annual Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference cohosted by Women of Color magazine, Consumers Energy and General Motors and sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

The conference gala will be held October 13 in Detroit, MI, and the Technologist of the Year award will be presented to Mrs. Bell.

"The award candidates were the strongest and represented the most diverse collection of executive professionals we have had the pleasure of evaluating," said Monica Emerson, national chair of the 23rd Women of Color STEM Conference. "From managers to vice presidents, this year's Women of Color STEM award candidates stand out as superior authorities in their respective fields."

This year's list include female Department of Defense scientists and engineers, who are working on some of the nation's most challenging problems, women from NASA, Cisco, Boeing, IBM, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Corning, Consumers Energy, Raytheon, and General Motors.

The full list of 2018 Women of Color STEM Conference award winners can be found here:

The photo above shows Dr. Aleksandra Boskovic, research director for Optics, Surfaces, and Integration Technologies at Corning Incorporated, with the Technologist of the Year Award at the 2016 Women of Color in STEM Conference in Detroit.

The Women of Color STEM Conference is produced by Career Communications Group Inc. (CCG), a leader in workforce diversity, working with all types of companies to support multiculturalism and gender equity in STEM fields. For 23 years, the Women of Color in STEM Conference has been a leading event for professional development and networking, and it has provided a resource for women to feel empowered. For more information, visit www.womenofcolor.net