The 2025 WOC STEM event will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary in October, a remarkable milestone since its inception in the mid-1990s.
Throughout the years, WOC STEM attendees have gathered in cities like Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, Detroit, and Baltimore.
This year’s WOC Awards Ceremony, set for late 2025, promises to be an inspiring occasion, uniting leaders from industry and education to honor the vital importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in transforming our future.
The WOC STEM Awards recognize individuals who excel in their fields while driving meaningful change and opportunity across the STEM landscape.
The awards are presented to trailblazers whose groundbreaking work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is transforming industries and uplifting communities.
A special presentation will also honor Nickolas Donofrio and Ted Childs, both retired IBM executives, for their enduring legacy in technology leadership and advocacy.
The recipients of the 2025 WOC STEM Awards are:
Technologist of the Year: Shubhi Asthana, senior research software engineer, IBM Research
Career Achievement: Kim Anstett, chief information officer, Trellix; Angela Williams, senior vice president and chief information security officer, UL Solutions
Community Service: Aliyah Gibbs, software engineer, Lockheed Martin; Jennifer Fisher Golden, Esq., director & senior counsel, Engineering Test & Technology, The Boeing Company
Educational Leadership – Corporate Promotion of Education: Bethany King Wilkes, Ph.D., postsecondary education programs manager, UL Research Institutes; Sian Proctor, Ph.D., geoscience professor, South Mountain Community College
FinTech Leadership: Sanjam Khurana, vice president and chief financial officer, Air Dominance, Defense, Space and Security, The Boeing Company
Managerial Leadership: Lakesha Bates, branch head, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Tameka Page-Green, chief technology officer, SAIC
New Media/IT Leadership: SMSgt Bonnie Rushing, USAF E-8, Ph.D. student, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) College of Engineering and Applied Science, Project Mercury Innovation coach; Harika Vinnakota, FIPS security engineer, Leidos, Inc.
Outstanding Technical Contribution: Sabrina Thompson, CEO & founder, Girl In Space Club
Pioneer Award: Ying Lu, Ph.D., metrology lab lead, General Motors
President's Award: Sabina Ewing, SVP of Business and Technology Services and CIO, Abbott
Professional Achievement: Madeline Augustin, BDS technology strategy senior manager, The Boeing Company, Shelby Avery, marketing manager, Ford Motor Company, Jessica Murphy, Ph.D., professor of technology and emergency management, Jackson State University
Special Recognition: Aura Cervantes, Ford Motor Company, Victoria Diaz, Actalent Erica McGriff, Abbott Nutrition, Terri Roberts, Ph.D., Lockheed Martin
2025 Waves of Change STEM Awards: Honoring Innovators Shaping the Future of Technology
