July 15, 2009 - (ATLANTA) - Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business today announced the recipients of the 2009 Bergeron Women in Technology Leadership Scholarship:

• Monica Bull—a rising sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina
  
  
• Shilpa Chakravarathy—a rising junior from Atlanta, Georgia
  
  
• Breonna DeLoach—a rising sophomore from Jonesboro, Georgia
  
  
• Roxxana Manzanarez—a rising sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia
  
  
• Catherine Mickle—a rising junior from Decatur, Georgia, and a 2008 Bergeron Scholarship recipient 

2009 Bergeron Women in Technology Leadership Scholarship recipients

"Financial assistance and mentorship helps these young women achieve their potential, advance into leadership positions in technology and enhance diversity within our industry," said Sandra Bergeron, chairman of the mentorship committee who, with her husband Doug Bergeron, funded the program endowment. By way of example, Sandra Bergeron cites the success of Kia Rainey, a 2007 Bergeron Scholar who now is with HP. "We congratulate this year's recipients on their academic performance and wish them well in their continuing studies."

The Bergeron Women in Technology Leadership Scholarship is awarded annually to five female undergraduate or graduate students at Robinson who have expressed or demonstrated high potential for leadership careers in technology. It was funded with a planned $1 million endowment from Sandra and Douglas Bergeron, who to date have provided $300,000 with 15 awards totaling $150,000 and a like amount to the scholarship fund. It is anticipated that Bergeron's $1 million commitment, together with additional contributions from Georgia business leaders, will fund this award in perpetuity.

"The Bergeron Scholarship recognizes significant academic achievement and creates a unique opportunity for the winners. This is the largest dollar award available to students in the Robinson College of Business. The mentoring aspect of this scholarship is also very beneficial to the recipients," said Robinson College Dean H. Fenwick Huss. "We are grateful to Sandra and Doug for establishing the fund that makes the award possible."

One technology industry mentor involved in the program is Laurie Johnson, vice president and CIO of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, who says, "The young woman I am mentoring has leveraged my experience and connections to expand her horizons in the business and technology worlds. The Bergeron Women in Technology Leadership Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity and it is a pleasure to participate in the career development of aspiring students."

U.S. News & World Report ranks Robinson's undergraduate and graduate computer information systems programs in the top 10 in the nation. The winner of the 2009 Microsoft Imagine Cup U.S. championship for software design was led by a Robinson CIS graduate student.

Sandra Bergeron

Sandra Bergeron is one of the most highly regarded female technology leaders in Silicon Valley. She is chairman of the board of TraceSecurity Inc. and serves on the boards of ArcSight Inc., Qualys Inc. and TriCipher Inc. She also is a venture advisor to Trident Capital.

Douglas Bergeron is CEO and primary individual shareholder of VeriFone Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PAY). He also is a member of the Listed Company Advisory Committee of NYSE Euronext. VeriFone, based in San Jose, California, is the world's largest provider of electronic payments systems and employs more than 300 high-technology professionals in Georgia.

Contact
Jenifer Shockley
Robinson College of Business
404-413-7078
jshockley@gsu.edu

The largest business school in the South and part of a major research institution, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University is located in Atlanta, an epicenter of business and a gateway to the world. With programs on four continents and students from 150 countries, the college is both worldwide and world class. Its part-time MBA program is ranked number seven in the nation and has been in the top 10 for 14 consecutive years. The college has 200 faculty, 7,400 students and 65,000 alumni. Noted for an emphasis on educating leaders, the Robinson College of Business and Georgia State University have produced more of Georgia's top executives with graduate degrees than any other school in the nation.