Marian Croak

Dr. Marian Rogers Croak is recognized for her contributions to modern communication technology, particularly as a leading engineer behind Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Croak advanced VoIP by developing methods to convert voice data into digital signals, enabling transmission over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. Her work has been instrumental in the development of audio and video conferencing, making services such as Zoom, as well as calling and texting on smartphones, computers, tablets, and watches, widely accessible.

Croak's academic background includes a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a doctorate in social psychology and quantitative analysis from the University of Southern California. She began her career at Bell Labs, later AT&T, in the Human Factors research division, focusing on the impact of technology on society. AT&T later merged its voice networking engineering and internet protocol engineering teams, and Croak managed a team of 2,000 engineers. Over her 32-year tenure at the company, she earned more than 200 patents, many related to VoIP technology.

In addition to her work on VoIP, Croak contributed to humanitarian technology by developing a text-to-donate system for charitable organizations. This system was widely used following Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti, facilitating significant fundraising efforts. Croak has received several honors, including the Edison Patent Award and induction into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. She is among the first Black women to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and has received the IEEE Founders Medal.

Croak serves as Vice President of Human Centered AI and Foundational ML at Google. She has previously held roles as Vice President of Responsible AI and Human Centered Technologies and was responsible for Site Reliability Engineering for Ads, Corporate Engineering, and YouTube. Before joining Google, Croak retired from AT&T as a senior vice president overseeing advanced research, innovation, and the design and development of large-scale wireless and broadband networks. She has also led initiatives to expand broadband access in developing countries in Asia and Africa. Google has highlighted Croak's career in the documentary "The Art of Possible." She supports STEM initiatives, serves on multiple boards, and mentors individuals in STEM fields, contributing to the advancement of engineering and technology.