Toni Townes-Whitley is a global technology leader who currently serves as an Independent Director/Trustee on eight Boards: Nasdaq, PNC Financial Services, Empowerment Inclusion Capital, United Way Worldwide, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Partnership for Public Service, and the Princeton Faith & Work Initiative.
As former president of US Regulated Industries at Microsoft, Toni led the US sales strategy for driving digital transformation across customers and partners within the public sector and commercial regulated industries. With responsibility for the 5200+ sales organization and ~$16B P&L, she was one of the leading women at Microsoft, and in the technology industry, with a track record for accelerating and sustaining profitable business and building high-performance teams.
Her organization was responsible for executing on Microsoft’s industry strategy and go-to-market for both public sector and regulated industries in the United States, including Education, Financial Services, Government, and Healthcare. Prior to her U.S. role Toni led Microsoft’s global industry strategy for manufacturing, retail, media, and all regulated industries. In addition to leading a sales organization, she helped steer the company’s work to address systemic racial injustice – with efforts targeted both internally at representation and inclusion; as well as externally at leveraging technology to counter prevailing societal challenges. She has developed expertise and speaks publicly about “Civic Technology,” applying tech innovation for social impact.
Toni helped to launch new initiatives at Microsoft, building the ethics framework for Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, establishing the carbon-negative initiative, sponsoring Blacks & Africans at Microsoft (BAM), partnering with the Athena Alliance, an organization that prepares tech women for corporate board roles, and working with Gender Fair, an organization which rates companies on their gender-equity practices, policies, advertising and philanthropy.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Toni was president of CGI Federal, where she was responsible for a portfolio of more than $1 billion, leading 6,600 employees to deliver greater value to US Government civilian, defense, and intelligence sectors. Previously, Toni held several management roles at Unisys Corporation leading global and commercial-sector system integration and the Federal Civilian group, where she achieved 500 percent revenue growth and doubled profitability.
In addition to her board service, Toni has been a long-time advisor to and fundraiser for the Women’s Center of Northern Virginia, and a past president and Board Chair of Women in Technology. She is the recipient of numerous awards that include: Fortune’s Most Powerful Women: Ones to Watch, Women in Technology Leadership, Black Enterprise Top Executive, FedScoop Top50 for Industry Leadership, the 2020 IES Lifetime Achievement Award, and NVTC Tech 100 Executive. In 2020, she was awarded the prestigious Federal 100 Industry Eagle Award.
Toni continues to support the US Peace Corps, for which she volunteered for three years as a village teacher in Gabon (Central Africa). She earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Policy & Economics from Princeton University and has received certifications from Wharton Executive Education, New York University (NYU), and the Performance Management Institute. She and her husband John H. Whitley reside in Mclean, VA. They have five children, eight grandchildren and counting…