INDIANAPOLIS – Barnes & Thornburg presented its Hi Tech Woman of the Year Award to Sharon Barner, Vice President and General Counsel at Cummins, Inc., at Women & Hi Tech’s biennial gala on Oct. 6. Barner was honored for rising steadily to the top of the ranks in a heavily male-dominated career path at the annual Leading Light Awards hosted by Women & Hi Tech.
“Barnes & Thornburg created the Hi Tech Woman of the Year award to recognize a woman who has risen in her profession, broken down barriers for women in science, technology, engineering and math, and inspires us all,” said Deborah Pollack-Milgate, a partner with Barnes & Thornburg and Women & Hi Tech Board Member who gave out the award. “We are honored to present the award to Sharon, to recognize her achievements in the field of intellectual property and in public service, and to thank her for motivating women with her story of persistence.”
With more than 30 years of experience in the legal profession, Barner has spent most of her career practicing intellectual property law. Prior to joining Cummins to oversee their legal matters on a global basis, she led the intellectual law department at a large law firm and served in the U.S. government as Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). During the two years she spent in that role, Barner led 15 foreign missions to meet with government representatives, as well as leaders in academia and industry, to raise awareness about the impact of intellectual property on business and innovation. She has won numerous awards and accolades, including having been named one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal in 2008.
For more than a decade, Barnes & Thornburg has presented the Hi Tech Woman of the Year award biennially to a woman who has excelled to prominence in her field at a level unsurpassed by her peers.
Women & Hi Tech’s Leading Light Awards recognize women of achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields who have set an example to others by demonstrating expertise, professionalism, leadership, service, courage and tenacity in pursuing their chosen career.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 13 offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
