The Department is pleased to announce that Kathy Hahn-Davidson ('73) is our newest appointee to the External Advisory Council. Davidson graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from Iowa State in 1973. Kathy began her career at Hewlett Packard (HP) as an R&D software engineer. Simultaneously pursuing a Computer Engineering graduate degree from Stanford, she spent nearly 30 years at HP, holding various R&D and management roles. Notably, she directed HP/Agilent Technology's Year 2000 Product Program, overseeing Y2K product efforts across 187 lines. Her contributions extended to innovative product development, including operating systems and networking for HP 1000, 3000, and 9000 systems. Post-HP, she served as senior director of operating systems engineering at Network Appliance, later consulting for startups. She retired in 2003.
Davidson previously served on the External Advisory Council for the Department of Computer Science in the 1980s. She has recruited many Iowa State graduates for HP and helped drive HP computing equipment donations to the university. She is a lifetime member of the ISU Alumni Association and is funding an Iowa State University Foundation scholarship for female computer science majors. She received the Department's Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2021.
Congratulations Kathy!