The March of Dimes and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA NOVA) announced the 2012 Heroines in Technology winners at the 12^th Annual Heroines in Technology® Awards Gala. The black-tie gala was held November 9 and honored the significant contributions of women in the technology community including government, nonprofit and commercial organizations for their outstanding commitment to community service.

The 2012 Heroines in Technology winners include:

• Rising Heroine: Sarah Chu, project coordinator, Society for Women’s Health Research
• Individual Heroine: Lynette Spano, CEO and President, SCI Consulting
• AFCEA International Government Heroine: Sandy Peavy, Assistant Director/CIO, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, DHS
• Corporate Heroine: Dawn Halfaker, President & CEO, Halfaker & Associates, LLC
• Lifetime Achievement Heroines: Anne Altman, General Manager, Global Public Sector, IBM Corporation and Lynda Mann, Vice President, Performance Solutions (AOC), Co-Founder & President of the Board (The YouthQuest Foundation)

More than 300 guests enjoyed dinner, music and dancing in addition to the awards presentation. View event photos in our Facebook Gallery (https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10151243163899684.482618.45923939683&type=3).

The event successfully raised more than $180,000 to support local March of Dimes programs around research, community services, education and advocacy to reduce the occurrence of birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Since 2001, the event has raised over $1.4 million to support the March of Dimes mission of saving babies.

The Heroines in Technology 2012 Silver Technology sponsor is Intel. Additional sponsors include AFCEA International, David Yurman, DC Magazine, Federal News Radio, FedScoop, IBM, OnPoint, Sapient, SmartCEO Magazine and Transportation Systems, Inc. To learn more about the event, visit www.marchofdimes.com/marylandmetrodc/events/events_HeroinesAwards12.html.

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About AFCEA NOVA

The Northern Virginia Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA NOVA) is partnered with the March of Dimes in support of the Heroines in Technology awards program. AFCEA fosters an ethical dialogue between industry, government and academia on the effective use of technology.