Women of Color magazine’s annual WOMEN TO WATCH awards recognize success and achievement in technology, telecommunications, finance, energy, industry, healthcare, utilities, and more. Click here to register.

This prestigious list showcases the trailblazing careers of diverse women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers nominated for recognition by significant employers in the U.S. Their biographies celebrate their achievements and offer a glimpse into some of the workforce challenges these winners have overcome.

KRISTIN BROWN is a senior Lake County site operations director at Abbott Laboratories. She has held leadership roles in engineering, supply chain, and project management. She leads a team of technical professionals dedicated to providing best-in-class service. She has also been active in employee resource groups, including Women Leaders of Abbott. Recently, she co-led mentoring circles, represented corporate engineering on the Engineering Executive Council, and led the Engineering Development Program. Externally, she promotes STEM opportunities by developing a skilled pilot trades apprenticeship via the College of Lake County.

ARMINDA PALACIO began her career in 1987 as a payroll clerk for a construction company in Phoenix, AZ. She worked for several companies before being hired by Actalent in 2016 as an engineering project controls analyst. Her ability to troubleshoot complications inherent in keeping an engineering office running has made her an invaluable asset. In addition, she cares for those who are less fortunate. Every year, she teams up with friends to make quilts. They work six hours a day for four days and then donate the quilts to Quilts of Valor and Project Linus for Abused Children.

KAREN SHARP is a systems engineer and cyber security expert at Aerospace Corporation. She has used technology in novel ways to improve the work of her customers and community while also boosting the understanding of technology’s potential to improve access to services, resources, and information. Before joining Aerospace in 2008 as an engineering specialist, she worked for Boeing and Raytheon, among others, as a contractor to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sharp earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Tennessee. State University and a master’s degree in mathematics with an emphasis in computer science from Ohio State University.