SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Girls in Tech ( http://girlsintech.org/), an organization focused on the education, empowerment, entrepreneurship, and engagement of women in technology, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Girls in Tech Awards. The award recipients—Danielle Feinberg of Pixar Animation Studios, Jessica Herrin of Stella & Dot, Kathy McElligott of McKesson, and Craig Newmark of Craigslist.org—were honored at Girls in Tech's gala in San Francisco on Friday, November 16.

This year's winners were chosen for their advocacy work in increasing female representation in tech and STEM.

"Though the tech industry has made great strides, there is still a long way to go to see true change," said Adriana Gascoigne, founder and CEO of Girls in Tech. "Each of our award winners leads by example in the fight for equality and helps show the importance of role models for women in tech."

Girls in Tech's award winners come from a range of backgrounds in the technology world.

• Innovator of the Year: Kathy McElligott, McKesson CTO

McElligott is responsible for the overall technology direction of McKesson, the largest healthcare company in the United States. She is also on the board of ArcBest, a publicly traded $2.8 billion dollar freight transportation and logistics firm.

• Creator of the Year: Danielle Feinberg, Pixar Animation Studios director of photography

Feinberg was ocean unit CG supervisor on Finding Nemo and directed lighting for Wall-E, Brave, and Coco. Her TED talk on the science of light has been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube alone.

• Philanthropist of the Year: Craig Newmark, Craigslist.org founder

Newmark is an internet pioneer and leading philanthropist. He serves on the board of directors of nonprofits including Blue Star Families, Center for Public Integrity, Consumers Union/Consumer Reports, Girls Who Code, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Poynter Foundation.

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Jessica Herrin, Stella & Dot CEO and founder

Herrin is the co-founder of WeddingChannel.com and CEO and founder of Stella & Dot. In 2016, Herrin released her first book, Find Your Extraordinary: Dream Bigger, Live Happier, and Achieve Success on Your Own Terms.

The gala is a special event that celebrates not only champions of the women in tech movement, but a busy year for Girls in Tech. Girls in Tech's flagship Catalyst conference expanded threefold to London and Melbourne in 2018, the organization's design thinking and coding bootcamps reached over 230 women in APAC regions in the program's inaugural year, and Hacking for Humanity programs helping give hands-on experience to coders and solve real-world problems locally were held in Romania, Australia, Gibraltar, and across several chapters of the United States. Furthermore, in 2018 Girls in Tech chapters were launched in Palestine, New York, Chicago, and Washington DC.

The gala was sponsored by Ellie Mae, DLA Piper, and Rocketspace.

About Girls in Tech
Girls in Tech (GIT) is a global non-profit that seeks to eradicate gender disparities in high-tech industries and startups by engaging, educating and empowering women who are passionate about technology. From technical courses and leadership bootcamps to hackathons and startup competitions, it is our mission to support women entirely with the access and community they need to succeed in tech.

Across the globe, GIT exists for anyone with an interest in technology regardless of age or profession, and we operate with the spirit of the girl within all of us—fearless, lively and determined. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco, the Girls in Tech impact has affected more than 100,000 members in 36 countries around the world. Programming in each regional chapter varies to fit the unique needs of their communities. For the latest updates, read GIT's blog or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube. http://girlsintech.org/

SOURCE Girls in Tech