Judith Spitz, PhD

Judith Spitz, PhD is the Founding Program Director of the Initiative for Women in Technology and Entrepreneurship in New York (WiTNY) at Cornell Tech — a partnership between Cornell Tech, the City University of New York, and a growing list of corporate partners with a mission to facilitate, encourage, and enable a significant increase in the participation of women in both higher education and entrepreneurship in fields related to technology in the New York market. Prior to this, she was the senior vice president and CIO for IT Strategy and Planning at Verizon responsible for developing IT-enabled business and technology strategies to drive competitive advantage in the marketplace. From 2005 – 2011, Judy served as CIO for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. Prior to her career in the communications industry, she was a research associate at The City University of New York in the Center for Research in Speech and Hearing Sciences and an adjunct professor at Hunter College. In 2017, she received the Above & Beyond Award for Outstanding Women in Business from City & State New York. In 2012 she received the Leadership and Service in Technology award from PACE University and the Purchase College Entrepreneurship Award. InfoWorld named her as a 2009 CTO 25 award winner. Computerworld magazine put her on its CIO 100 Honoree list in 2007 and CIO Magazine placed her on its “Ones to Watch” list in 2005. Her current passion is driving programs that will address the urgent need for more women in technology and topics related to the leadership skills needed in the digital economy.