Telle Whitney, president and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, will be awarded a Doctor of Science and Technology degree at Carnegie Mellon's 117th Commencement, Sunday, May 18, in Gesling Stadium.

She also will be the keynote speaker at the School of Computer Science’s Honors Ceremony on Saturday, May 17, in Rashid Auditorium, and at the university’s doctor’s hooding ceremony later that day in the Cohon University Center’s Wiegand Gym.

Under her leadership, the Anita Borg Institute has expanded opportunities for women in technology professions, enabling women to make new and varied contributions to computing and related fields. Co-founder of the National Center for Women and Information Technology, she has been a member of the National Science Foundation Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, and the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate Advisory Committee.

Named one of the “Top 100 Women of Influence” by the San Jose Business Journal, Whitney has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the ACM Distinguished Service Award, the Marie Pistilli Women in EDA Achievement Award and the Women’s Venture Fund Highest Leaf Award.

Carnegie Mellon University alumnus and trustee Jeffrey Housenbold, president and CEO of Shutterfly Inc., the leading manufacturer and digital retailer of high-quality personalized products and services offered through a family of lifestyle brands, will be the keynote speaker at commencement.

Other honorary degree recipients this year are John Wells, a 1979 graduate of CMU's School of Drama and one of the most influential and successful producer-directors in American film and television,  and Manfred Honeck, internationally renowned music director for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; both will receive Doctor of Fine Arts degrees.

For more information on commencement, see CMU’s news release.