Our 2009 Heroines in Technology finalists are recognized through a partnership between Women in Technology, March of Dimes and Working Mother Magazine. These notable women are identified for their commitment to charitable activity in their communities and because of their leadership in the world of technology.   

Michelle Tortolani
Senior Engineering Manager
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems

Michelle Tortolani is Senior Engineering Manager at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. Among her professional activities, she serves as a lifetime member of the Society of Women Engineers. Michelle served on the Board of Directors from 2001-2008 and as a past Society President (2007-2008). Under her leadership, the Society’s Baltimore-Washington section won a corporate grant for the section’s Science and Engineering Education Development (SEED) program which targeted eighth grade girls for a four-year program that provided a week long, hands-on science and engineering experience each summer.  She is also currently a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers as well as a member of Women in Technology. In 2009, Michelle won a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers. In the many panels and speeches she has made on the Society’s behalf over the years, her commitment, dedication, and leadership in spreading the Society’s message and enhancing the success of women engineers have inspired many others to volunteer and make a difference.
 
Lydia K. Gizdavcic
Principal Information Systems Engineer
MITRE Corporation
 
Lydia Gizdavic is Principal Information Systems Engineer for MITRE Corporation. She has over 20 years of wide-ranging professional experience including international, private, non-profit sectors and federal government. Lydia is also a member of The Project Management Institute. Her most recent personal triumph is forming the Evershine Foundation to support and enhance the Evershine School in Bangalore, India. Evershine was started over 10 years ago by Father Frederic. The Jesuit priest opened the school in a rented kiosk space in a very poor part of the city so that more children would have access to education. The Foundation, through Lydia’s leadership and personal donations, has grown over the past decade and includes a web site where visitors can find information and assistance. She has also inspired co-workers at MITRE. A co-worker visited the Evershine School in India and helped teach computer classes, while another started a similar project in her own native Vietnam.  Lydia also works with the International Child Art Foundation and helps run Dulles Airport USO’s Concierge Service, assisting military members in transit.

Martha McCollum is a self-defined Relationship Engineer and advocate of many causes -  most importantly in helping everyone find their purpose for advocacy.  She devotes her time to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and supporting her friends and colleagues in having a positive impact through their charitable endeavors.  She is also Sales Director at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, an innovative law firm for businesses.