The Secret Origin of AnitaB.org – Telle Whitney on Friendship with Anita Borg and Founding AnitaB.org

Welcome to B The Way Forward Interludes – a series of conversations that don’t necessarily fit in our regular season, but are just too good to not share. This week, a very special episode for Women’s History Month. 

Telle Whitney was already a trailblazing woman in the field of semiconductors when she moved to  Silicon Valley in the 1980s. Anita Borg had already made a name for herself in systems. The two met at a party and became fast friends. Among all the things they bonded over was, of course, their shared experiences as women in tech. And the ways they both tried to deal with the glaring disparity between men and women in the industry.

But Anita and Telle weren’t content to just commiserate. They were determined to do something about it. Out of that determination and that friendship, Grace Hopper Celebration and the Institute for Women and Technology – which became AnitaB.org – were born. Anita Borg and Tell Whitney saw a need and decided  to do something about it – and the tech space would never be the same. 

Telle – Co-Founder of AnitaB.org and Brenda’s predecessor as President and CEO – pulls back the curtain on the early days of AnitaB.org, the secret origin of Anita’s pioneering networking group Systers, and what it was like at the very first GHC in 1994. Plus, Telle helps us get to know who Anita Borg was in the ways only a close friend can.

For from of Telle and her work check her out…

On LinkedIn – /telle-whitney

On X – @TelleWhitney

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At our heart, AnitaB.org is a connector: we connect women in tech to the organizations, opportunities, and tools they need to advance, thrive, and transform the future of technology. We convene transformative events, lead essential discussions, produce groundbreaking research and white papers, and support the tech ecosystem to shape the future for women in tech. 

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Connect with AnitaB.org

Instagram – @anitab_org

Facebook – /anitab.0rg

LinkedIn – /anitab-org

On the web – anitab.org 

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Podcast Marketing from Lauren Passell with Tink Media in partnership with Coley Bouschet at AnitaB.org

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org