Sona Mehring - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Sona Mehring is the Founder and CEO of nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization CaringBridge

CaringBridge

CaringBridge is a charitable 501 nonprofit organization offering free personalized websites to people facing a serious medical condition or hospitalization, undergoing medical treatment and/or recovering from a significant accident, illness, injury or procedure. Its functionality is similar to a blog...

. She created the first CaringBridge Website

Website

A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

in 1997. Based upon the idea of keeping friends and family informed when someone is facing a serious health event, Mehring's vision was to create a free service that would not only ease the stress

Stress (biology)

Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...

of communication, but also provide a means for people to express encouragement and support to ones they love. Each website includes pictures and journal updates, as well as an online guestbook allowing all parties to stay informed without placing extra demands on hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

staff.

Work history

Before CaringBridge, Mehring was President of Beacon Point Technologies for 14 years. Prior to that she was Technology Director at PlanAnalytics, Inc. and an Independent Consultant for GMAC ResCap. She has also served as a Software Engineer at Apertus Technologies Inc., Unisys

Unisys

Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...

, Diamond Computer Solutions, and General Dynamics

General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...

. An early adopter of Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

technologies, Mehring has been actively involved in development of several widely used software applications.

Awards and recognition

Mehring is frequently recognized and honored for her passion and visionary leadership. She was named one of 2011’s “Most Influential Women in Technology” by Fast Company. In 2010, she was named to the Twin Cities Business Magazine list of 200 Minnesotans You Should Know 2010 Twin Cities Business Superstars. In 2009, she was named one of 25 Women Industry Leaders in the Twin Cities

Twin cities

Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...

by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. In 2008, she received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community. In 2006, she was recognized and highlighted by MSN

MSN

MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...

as one of the nation's leading Women Working for Change and was a participant at Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Women Summit. She's a 2006 recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire is a public liberal arts university located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has an annual enrollment of more than 10,000 students...

Alumni Excellence Award. She was a finalist for the Minnesota High Tech Association's TEKNE award in 2004, an honoree at Medica

MEDICA

MEDICA is a French private health group specialized in the exploitation of global care facilities for dependent persons.-Activities:The MEDICA group operates in the sector of nursing homes for elderly dependent persons, in France and Italy, and in the health sector, with medical units of follow-up...

’s 2004 Speaking of Women's Health Conference, and a 2004 nominee for the Volvo

Volvo

AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...

for Life Award.

Mehring is a member of Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, National Health Council and the National Health Marketing Leadership Roundtable.

Media coverage

External links

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