• Accion Systems Co-founder and CEO Dr. Natalya Bailey to Be Recognized
Accion Systems Co-founder and CEO Dr. Natalya Bailey will receive the 2019 Emerging Technologist Abie Award, presented by AnitaB.org, the leading nonprofit organization focused on the advancement of women technologists, and sponsored this year by global staffing firm Robert Half Technology. The award will be presented as part of the 2019 Grace Hopper Celebration, held October 1-4 in Orlando, FL.
The Emerging Technologist Abie Award recognizes a mid career woman technologist in the first 10 years of her technical career and celebrates the creative ways she confronts problems and seeks solutions, as well as the potential she has to shape the future of her field.
“In our work each day, we help individuals find rewarding jobs in companies where they can grow and thrive,” said LaCinda Clem, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology, who will be speaking at this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration. “We are honored to collaborate with AnitaB.org to support the amazing work of women like Dr. Natalya Bailey, who are making invaluable contributions to the advancement of women in technology.”
“As an inventor who developed a new propulsion technology for small satellites that is safer, more economical, and smaller in terms of mass and volume while earning her doctorate at MIT, Dr. Natalya Bailey is an extraordinary example of someone who will shape the future of her field for years to come,” noted Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO of AnitaB.org.
Dr. Bailey is considered one of the top leaders in the emerging field of small satellite propulsion, and she is a great influence on her company and industry’s diversity and recruitment efforts. In 2017, Dr. Bailey introduced a diversity program in hiring to augment its workforce with women and minorities that have been underrepresented in the industry. Over the past 12 months, 55% of Accion’s new hires were women.
Dr. Bailey is passionate about giving back to the community and mentoring those in her industry. She is one of the first mentors for the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, where she is mentoring a female aerospace student from Purdue University. Dr. Bailey is also paving the way for a new generation of entrepreneurs by working as a board member at Youth CITIES, a Boston based nonprofit that empowers middle and high school students to innovate and drive change in their community.
Clem added, “Dr. Bailey is a role model, not just within her technical field, but in her efforts to support diversity and inclusion within the technology industry and as a leader and mentor within her community. We are excited to see what she does next.”
