On September 14, 1998, Ruzena Bajcsy became the first woman to lead the NSF's CISE Directorate.
Ruzena Bajcsy was appointed as the Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate on September 14, 1998. This appointment was a groundbreaking step, serving as the first instance of a woman holding this high-ranking position. Bajcsy's leadership at the NSF marked a pivotal transformation in embracing diversity in science and technology fields, providing strategic direction and influence in advancing computer science and engineering disciplines.