Women Who Inspire Us
Hardware

Jeanette Symons

Jeanette Symons is chief technology officer and vice president of engineering for Zhone Technologies, a telecommunications start-up dedicated to building total-delivery solutions for voice, data and content services. She has overall responsibility for development and delivery of the company's products and manages a staff of 150 hardware and software engineers at six development hubs across North America.

Before joining Zhone, Symons was chief technology officer and executive vice president of Ascend Communications, Inc., a leading provider of wide area network (WAN) solutions. One of three founding members of Ascend Network (later acquired by Lucent Technologies), Symons was responsible for the company's technology direction and advanced development.

Before founding Ascend, Symons was a software engineer at Hayes Microcomputer, a leading modem manufacturer, where she developed and managed its ISDN program.

Symons is a licensed pilot and frequently flies her own Lear jet to speaking engagements and conferences around the country. She has delivered keynote addresses at major industry trade shows, including Networld + Interop, ALTS and SUPERCOMM. She also sits on numerous boards and is active in efforts to enhance education opportunities for underprivileged children.

Also: Read the transcript of the GirlGeeks chat with Jeanette Symons.