Black History Month Tech Spotlight

If you have ever used Zoom, Google Voice, Slack Huddles, or made any type of call over the internet, you have to thank the trailblazer and powerhouse engineer, Dr. Marian Rogers Croak. Dr. Croak developed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which allows us to connect with our colleagues, work remotely, join meetings, provide virtual video support to survivors, and chat with friends and family members.

Within recent years, the global use of this technology, particularly during the pandemic lockdowns increased. For some survivors, this transformative technology provided them with access to advocacy and support from a local program, access to the justice system, which allowed them to join remote court hearings, access to virtual support groups, telehealth appointments, and more.  VoIP has reshaped how we connect in our personal and professional lives and provided some survivors who have access with an alternative option to receive support.

VoIP technology converts your voice into a digital signal, enabling you to make calls using the internet from devices such as computers, cellphones, and tablets.

Born in New York City in 1955, Dr. Croak had a fascination with fixing things. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Southern California, she holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and quantitative analysis.

She initiated her career in the tech world in the 1980s at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where she designed text-to-donate fundraising technology. This technology enables people to raise funds and make donations by texting a single word to a specific number. We first saw this technology during the devastating 2005 storm, Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

Dr. Croak holds over 200 US patents and continues to support women while advocating for diversity in the tech industry. She currently serves as the Vice President of Responsible AI and Human-Centered Technologies at Google. Formerly a VP for Site Reliability Engineering for Ads, Corporate Engineering, and YouTube, she is recognized as an innovator and powerhouse.

Dr. Croak is a mentor and an advocate who encourages Black women and girls to pursue careers in technology due to underrepresentation in this space.

Dr. Croak was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022 for her groundbreaking and innovative VoIP technology, making her one of the first two Black women to receive this honor. She has played a pivotal role in changing the way we use technology, providing us with the ability to connect like never before.

Learn more about Dr. Croak’s current work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and more here.