The work of Women in Technology has an incredible impact.
Since 1992, Women in Technology has had a mission dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in Georgia’s technology community. Through the WIT COMMUNITY, WIT also educates and encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in STEAM.

Dr. Denise W. Hines has been instrumental in advancing healthcare connectivity in Georgia, ensuring physicians have the information they need to deliver quality care. Through her work at the local, state and regional level, Dr. Hines has improved technology adoption and advanced its exchange. This has directly contributed to Georgia’s ranking as the nation’s health IT capital.

Dr. Hines heads eHealth Services Group and also serves as the Executive Director of Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN). GaHIN is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a healthier Georgia by facilitating the use and secure exchange of electronic health information so providers have the information they need at the point of care. The result is improved quality of care, better health outcomes and reductions in cost.

As Executive Director of GaHIN, Dr. Hines has connected the state health information exchange (HIE) to two national networks for information exchange, made Georgia one of the first state HIEs to connect directly to other states, created connections with five state agencies and spurred participation in the HIE by Grady, CHOA, Emory and numerous other state hospitals and healthcare providers. Dr. Hines is Chair of the North America Board of the Health Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS). She is the past president of the Georgia Chapter of HIMSS and was recognized as the 2012 HIMSS Chapter Leader of the Year, with GA HIMSS recognized as the 2012 Chapter of the Year. She was also an honoree as the 2012 Woman of the Year in Technology. She received the received the Phoenix Community Leader of the Year Award at the 2016 Health IT Leadership Summit in recognition for her instrumental role in advancing healthcare connectivity in Georgia to ensure physicians have the information they need to deliver quality care. The Phoenix award represents the iconic “rising from the ashes” of the Phoenix — a symbol of strength, tenacity and leadership.

Dr. Hines has more than two decades of healthcare experience in a variety of settings, including health systems, physician offices, home health, technology vendors, consulting, state government and revenue management. She is renowned for building service and results-oriented organizations and she possesses a passion for the widespread integration of technology and healthcare.

Nationally recognized as an expert in state government in health information exchanges (HIE), Dr. Hines has participated in hundreds of public speaking events locally and nationally, educating providers on the benefits of electronic health record (EHR) systems, health information technology adoption, and the overall national vision for an interconnected health system. Dr. Hines was responsible for overseeing and managing the marketing and outreach recruitment of more than 5,200 healthcare providers and 56 critical access and rural hospitals, assisting these providers in meeting meaningful use requirements and qualifying for the CMS EHR incentive program. She participated on Georgia’s HIE Strategic and Operational Plan writing team and served as the co-chair of the HIE Governance Committee. She successfully launched Georgia’s first comprehensive health information transparency and HIE website. She served as the first Executive Director for the GA Health Information Technology Advisory Board and created Georgia’s two-, five-, & 10-year strategic plans for health information technology. She also created and implemented the Georgia HIE Grants Awards Program that awarded $1,800,000 in grants in the first and second years.

Dr. Hines holds her doctorate in healthcare administration where she focused her studies on the use of electronic personal health records and the impact on patient health. She also maintains certifications in project management, software development, and healthcare law. Dr. Hines is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, and a resident of Fayetteville, Georgia. Her hobbies include watching movies, playing basketball, jogging, cooking, sewing, interior decorating, swimming, and spending time with her family. She is married to Wiley Earl Hines, Jr. and a mother of seven children: Crystal, Candice, Sydney, Quincy, Gabriel, Madison, and Wiley Earl Hines III (Trey). She is a member of Flat Rock AME Church where she serves as the President of the Voices of Inspiration Choir.

Connect with Denise on LinkedIn.

As an expert in digital innovations and strategic IT applications, Dr. Maryam Alavi has authored numerous published papers and served on the editorial boards of several prestigious business and technology journals. She is a thought leader on IT strategy, a recognized educator and advisor with extensive experience in leadership development and organizational capability building for a digital age. Dr. Alavi is a sought-­‐after speaker at national and international forums and conferences, and has taught in executive programs at some of the world’s most prestigious business schools. She has advised and taught executives on topics of IT and digital strategies in organizations including KIA Motors, Lockheed, Marriott, Siemens, Sodexo, the American College of Physicians, and the World Bank.

In recognition of her professional achievements, she received the prestigious Association of Information Systems Fellows Award, an award given by peers in recognition of the recipient as a role model and inspiration to colleagues and students within the discipline. Dr. Alavi was also awarded the distinguished Marvin Bower Faculty Fellowship at Harvard Business School. Dr. Alavi served on the advisory board of Center for Knowledge-­‐based Enterprise at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and was twice appointed by the Governor of the State of Georgia to the Georgia Technology Authority Board. She currently serves as a member of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Strategic Advisory Board of Valor Ventures.

Dr. Alavi holds a B.A. in mathematics and computer science from State University of New York at Buffalo, an M.S. in computer and information sciences, and a Ph.D. in management information systems from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Alavi lives in Atlanta, Georgia and is married to Dr. Henry H. Molouki, a physician in private practice.

Connect with Maryam on LinkedIn.

Connie Taylor has over twenty-five years in the software development industry and is currently Vice President of Global R&D at Manhattan Associates, a leading supply-chain commerce solution provider based in Atlanta. Connie has been passionate about technology since she began her career as a software developer and her industry experience spans supply chain, customer management, and healthcare. Connie believes strongly in promoting STEM careers and technology education in her community and was an adjunct faculty member at Georgia Perimeter College where she taught Computer Science and is currently a board member and secretary of the BH Technology Group, a nonprofit that provides technology training to seniors so they can stay connected to their family and friends. At Manhattan Associates, Connie led the development team that recently launched their groundbreaking Manhattan Active™ Omni solution. Connie is one of the founders and sponsors of Manhattan Associates’ Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) which was initiated in 2014 to foster an environment and culture to support the talented women at Manhattan Associates and throughout their communities. Prior to joining Manhattan Associates, Connie was Vice President of Solutions Development at Premier, Inc. where she built the ValueAdvisor™ development team which was selected as an Information Week 500 finalist in 2010 (ranked 72). Connie graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in Mathematics, and also received a MS in Computer Science with Honors from Johns Hopkins University. Connie is the proud mother of two sons, who attend Georgia Tech and Pope High School respectively.

Connect with Connie on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Bonnett is a technology entrepreneur with over 25 years experience in the Information Technology/Software Development field specializing in web and mobile technologies. She has served as Founder/CTO of a number of venture and angel backed firms, acting as both lead architect and growing/managing the technology team. She and her co-founders raised in excess of $47 million in funding over 3 companies. She is currently the Director/General Manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center(ATDC) and Founder/Chief Chick (CEO) of StartupChicks.

ATDC is the longest-running and largest research university affiliated incubators in the United States. Since it’s inception in 1980, ATDC has fostered innovation and economic development by graduating over 177 companies, which together have raised over $3 billion in outside financing and at any point in time employ over 3000 employees in the state of Georgia. Headquartered in Atlanta’s Technology Square adjacent to Georgia Tech’s campus, ATDC serves as the hub for technology entrepreneurship in Georgia.

StartupChicks is a 501c3 focused on empowering women entrepreneurs through education, community, coaching, connections and investment. StartupChicks has touched over 10,000 women globally through its content and events. Bonnett played a key role at ATDC in developing the Entrepreneurs Education Series, a curriculum designed at moving concept stage entrepreneurs from idea through angel funding. She is also the architect of the “ATDC @” program which delivers coaching and curriculum to ATDC Entrepreneurs across the state. 1600 Georgia entrepreneurs participated in ATDC educational programs in 8 different locations across the state in 2016.

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn.