Who founded Ada Lovelace Day in 2009?

Suw Charman-Anderson founded Ada Lovelace Day in 2009. She created it to highlight the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The event began in the United Kingdom as a “day of blogging,” inviting people to write about women in STEM whose work deserved greater recognition. Its namesake, Ada Lovelace, was chosen because of her pioneering work on Charles Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine and her enduring place in computing history.

Ada Lovelace Day is held annually on the second Tuesday of October. What began as an online campaign grew into an international event involving schools, universities, museums, professional organizations and community groups. Activities have included talks, panel discussions, film screenings and Wikipedia editathons.

Charman-Anderson is a journalist, blogger and technology consultant who has also worked on digital-rights and social-software issues. The event is sometimes mistakenly attributed to a prominent technology executive or politician, but its founder was an independent campaigner who organized the original 2009 initiative through her Finding Ada project.