Yes, she was once one of our own!   We have been excited to watch Enrica Porcari, who we still consider part of the family here at CGNET, on what has been quite an extraordinary journey.  A CGNET Special Projects Coordinator back in the mid-1990’s, Enrica is now the new Head of Computing at CERN in Geneva. CERN – the European Council for Nuclear Research – is one of the largest and most respected scientific research organizations in the world.  They are lucky to have her!

This isn’t the first important position she has held.  Enrica has served numerous organizations throughout her career.  After moving on from CGNET, she worked her way up from Project Manager to Chief of Telecommunications and ICT Field Services for the World Food Programme. In 2002, on sabbatical from WFP,  Enrica returned to California for a fellowship at Stanford University.  Through The Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship Programme, she was selected to carry out a research project on effective ways to transition technology investments from emergencies to development in humanitarian crises.

Upon completing her fellowship, Enrica was hired as the Chief information Officer for the CGIAR for 9 years, and then as the Director of Shared Services for the CGIAR Consortium for the 3 years that followed.  She then returned to the World Food Programme to serve as it’s CIO.  

The many stops along her career path  — including those here at CGNET — have taken her on a worldwide trek and have given her many interesting stories to share. And we hope that at her new position at CERN there will be even more tales to bring back to her old friends at CGNET.  As one of few women who have reached the pinnacle of both a technical and humanitarian career, we couldn’t be more proud of our former colleague.  We wish her all the best at this latest stop on her inspiring adventure!