“Bob Carr was the first individual to step forward in 2005 to proclaim his passionate support of W.net and his on-going support of W.net has been extraordinary. We are so proud to honor him with this prestigious award,” W.net President Mary Gerdts said.

W.net has established four DIVA Awards: Stiletto Award, Diversity Champion Award, Spirit Award and the Strongest LINC Award. The W.net DIVA Awards honor the outstanding achievements of individuals, companies and W.net members who demonstrate a commitment to W.net and its mission to inspire and empower women in the electronic transactions industry to maximize their individual potential and position themselves for greater success.

DIVA Award nominees are voted on by secret ballot and are kept confidential until they are announced at the BootCamp conference. which will be held at the Westin Chicago River North.

The Stiletto Award is the only award announced in advance as it is an at-random, selective award that is not intended to be presented annually, only on an extraordinary basis. The award celebrates an individual who works tirelessly to empower women for greater success, and who demonstrates a commitment to W.net.

W.net has also announced nominees in two other categories:

The Diversity Champion Award recognizes a W.net Corporate Sponsor/Champion which exemplifies the spirit of diversity through contributions and in practice within its organization, and has demonstrated leadership in expanding opportunities for women. The Nominees are: Chase Paymentech, First Data, and TSYS Acquiring Solutions.

The Spirit Award recognizes an individual W.net committee volunteer who exemplifies outstanding leadership within the association and encourages and motivates others to participate in the promotion and support of the W.net brand. Nominees are: Sarah Owen, vice president, product development, First Data USA; Carmen Paraschiv, executive vice president, project management, Exadigm; and Linda Rossetti, president, Bluestone Payments.