Citation
For nearly two decades of outstanding work with respect to computing and public policy, including service as President and Secretary of ACM, chair of ACM's Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, and founding chair and subsequent co-chair of ACM's U.S. Public Policy Committee, providing a forceful, effective voice for ACM and the computing community.


Press Release

During this time, Dr. Barbara Simons has made valuable contributions to ACM in the public policy arena, and has demonstrated her leadership capacity several times. In 1987, Dr. Simons chaired ACM's Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, which helped make ACM's voice heard on issues relating to the persecution of computing scientists outside of the United States. In subsequent years, she continued to be an activist in this arena with service on the ACM Committee on Public Policy, the SIGACT Science Policy Committee and SIGACT Vice Chair, the Computing Research Association's Public Policy Committee and, as Secretary of ACM, the Council and Executive Committee.

In 1993, Dr. Simons founded ACM's U.S. Public Policy Committee (USACM). As one of the endorsers of her nomination for this award wrote, "forming USACM was, in itself, a pioneering idea, but Simons made sure the idea also was executed in a pioneering way...she recruited not only scientists and industry-based technologists who care about technology policy issues to serve on the committee, but also lawyers, law professors, and others in the academic world who wanted to make a positive contribution to technology policy." Through Dr. Simons' leadership as USACM's founding chair, and subsequently as ACM President and more recently USACM co-chair, USACM has provided a forceful, effective voice for ACM and the computing community. It has provided cogent advice and analysis to legislators and other policy makers about such wide-ranging issues as cryptography and computer security policy, privacy and intellectual property legislation, and funding for basic science and computing research.

Dr. Simons had the vision and the talent to make ACM successful in the public policy arena. She inspired and persuaded other talented people to make commitments to important projects in this area. Her effectiveness in this regard continues to this day.