The National Inventors Hall of Fame is the leading organization in the United States dedicated to honoring inventors and their inventions, promoting creativity, and fostering the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Hall of Fame aims to not only recognize the individuals whose inventions have improved the world but also to ensure that American ingenuity continues to thrive in future generations.
This is achieved through national educational programming and collegiate competitions focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
This week, the National Inventors Hall of Fame announced Kerrie Holley as one of the Innovators in its 2025 Class, recognized for his pioneering work in service-oriented architecture (SOA).
SOA is a software architecture and programming model used by large enterprises to guide the creation and usage of business processes packaged as services, thereby defining the necessary information technology infrastructure.
This innovation has benefited organizations across various industries by enabling them to adapt more effectively to changing market conditions.
In collaboration with the USPTO, the Hall of Fame will honor Holley and other Inductees on May 8 at the Celebration of American Innovation, an event dedicated to the innovation industry.
"It is an honor for the USPTO to recognize the 2025 class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame," stated Derrick Brent, acting undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and acting director of the USPTO. "These remarkable visionaries have not only changed the world through their inventions but are also paving the way for future generations of STEM innovators."
In 2023, Holley was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), which comprises a select group of distinguished professionals from business, academia, and government. NAE members volunteer their expertise to guide the development of federal laws and regulations, improve government programs, shape research directions, and inform public discourse on critical issues.
Holley, who recently served as the director of healthcare and life sciences industry solutions at Google Cloud, was recognized for his contributions to the evolution of service-oriented architectures.
His work has enabled global businesses to adapt to market changes.
Previously, as a CTO and Distinguished Engineer at IBM, Holley presented one of the most popular seminars at the BEYA STEM Conference, focusing on how to distinguish oneself in a technical career.
The holder of two U.S. patents and three pending applications, Holley received the Chairman's Award at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference in 2003 for significantly impacting IBM's products and profits, as well as for his effective management style. Read his story in the USBE magazine archive.
In his seminar titled "Becoming a Technical Leader," he shared insights on creating a recognizable professional image that helps position one's work and capabilities to coworkers, clients, and management.
Additionally, he was named one of the "50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science" by Career Communications Group, publisher of US Black Engineer magazine.