San Francisco, CA, USA
Faith Community: Judaism
Elizabeth “Heidi” Huchberger is a pioneering business leader whose early career helped shape the evolution of modern computing and women’s advancement in the technology industry. Beginning at IBM in 1964, she became part of the first cohort of women in the company to enter sales, sales management, and eventually general management roles — breaking professional barriers while participating in the foundational era of business computing.
During her IBM tenure, she also advanced women’s economic equality, working through the Women’s Political Caucus alongside then-Senator Joe Biden to support passage of the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act, a landmark protection granting women independent access to credit. Following IBM, she embraced Silicon Valley entrepreneurship, holding senior leadership roles in emerging software firms, including co-founding a company that developed some of the earliest commercial artificial intelligence software.
In 1992, she acquired and expanded a clean-room commodities company serving high-technology sectors, becoming an early participant in PRC-based advanced manufacturing before selling the company in 2007. A committed advocate for education, she served as a Trustee of Chadwick School and helped establish Chadwick International in South Korea, and she remains active in ARCS supporting doctoral candidates in STEM and medical research — including future Nobel Laureates and MacArthur Fellows.
As a member of URI’s Senior Advisory Council, Ms. Huchberger offers a legacy of barrier-breaking leadership, compassion-driven advocacy, and deep commitment to educational opportunity and social justice. Her experience fostering empowerment for women, supporting diverse learning communities, and navigating cross-cultural organizational development strengthens URI’s mission of cultivating respect and cooperation across faith and cultural traditions.
Having participated in historic movements for civil rights — including the 1961 Freedom Rides — she brings firsthand understanding of the moral urgency of equality, dignity, and human solidarity. Heidi’s visionary entrepreneurial mindset, combined with her lifelong commitment to justice and inclusion, meaningfully supports URI’s work in nurturing a world in which people of all beliefs can collaborate in peace and shared purpose.